WILD

Wild

Grade: A-

Starring: Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern; with Thomas Sadoski as Paul, Keene McRae as Leif, and Bobbi Strayed Lindstrom as young Cheryl

Premise: A young divorcee still grieving from the unexpected death of her mother hikes over 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. The film is adapted from her memoir.

Rated R for language, nudity, sexuality, intense emotional content, and depictions of drug use

Wild may be a movie about one person’s extra-ordinary journey, but what makes it so compelling is its spot-on depiction of how ordinary life works. Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, the man behind last year’s Oscar-winning drama Dallas Buyers Club, Wild captures the ordinary, matter-of-factness of life—the sights, the sounds, the random experiences, people who come into our lives for a few minutes or a few days and then go off, just because that’s what happens. Sure, the movie is flashback-driven (depicting real-life experiences of its protagonist, Cheryl Strayed), but the flashbacks don’t happen neatly and in order, they occur randomly, sparked by random events or thoughts or just because, because that’s how memories work to the ordinary person. This is reality. And because some of those random flashbacks are ones of great emotional upheaval or personal trauma, the movie develops a real, affecting emotional pulse. Starring the likeable, expressive Reese Witherspoon in her best role in a long time, Wild is a quiet but very powerful movie.

Plot

In 1995, Cheryl Strayed (Witherspoon, and the last name is pronounced “strayed”) decided to walk the Pacific Crest Trail (also called the PCT), from the southernmost point at the US-Mexico border to the northernmost point at the US-Canada border. Bearing an enormous pack she could barely lift and tools and gear she barely knew how to use, she walked because she wanted to “walk back to the woman my mom wanted me to be”. Her mom was dearly-departed Bobbi (Laura Dern), a poor, under-educated woman who got two children from a marriage that turned abusive, but never stopped smiling, trying, and living life to the fullest. Her sudden death at 45 of lung cancer scarred Cheryl deeply—the grief sent her into a tailspin that led to her neglecting her husband (Thomas Sadoski), falling out with her younger brother (Keene McRae), sleeping around, and slipping into drug use. Estrangement, divorce, and an abortion followed. So Cheryl hikes the trail because that’s the only thing she can think to do, because it’s a way to accomplish something worthwhile. Along the way she reflects on her life—some high points but many low points—suffers bruises and aches and pains, gets help from random strangers, and, as seemingly the only woman to pursue the PCT without quitting right away, becomes something of a celebrity among her fellow hikers. She also begins to develop hopes and fears about her life after the trail.

What Works?

As I stated before, the movie feels very real. Cheryl has experiences just because, she moves on, she has more experiences, but each little experience touches her in some way. Contrary to the plot of most movies, some of these experiences aren’t meant to be lingering experiences that will come up again and develop some larger meaning—they’re just part of life. One particular such instance is when Cheryl happens to find a llama wandering alone in the woods, only to be thanked graciously by its owners when they appear moments later, though she really didn’t do anything. Another occurs when she meets another experienced woman hiking the trail and gets to share a few personal anecdotes, and it’s engaging in a way only an encounter between two friendly women can be. Later, the sweet singing of a child who offers reduces Cheryl to tears with its innocent beauty. And Cheryl and a stranger get a laugh later when the no longer socially-inclined Cheryl lets slip an awkward innuendo during a simple conversation.

And again, the random order in which the flashbacks come feels very indicative of real life—the whole movie feels very unforced (though the flashbacks depicted Cheryl’s mother’s death were powerful, I experienced even more emotion at another, simpler, more everyday kind of moment). It also feels less “episodic” then other road movies.

I don’t think I’ve seen Reese Witherspoon in a movie since 2005’s Walk the Line, for which she won her Best Actress Oscar. Though I haven’t seen many of her movies of late, I’ve liked her as far back as 1998’s Pleasantville. And it’s astonishing to consider that she’s 38 years old. I feel like she could still play the lead role of a college student in Legally Blonde if it came out now, as opposed to 13 years ago. Here, she plays a teenaged Cheryl in some high school flashbacks, and it’s believable. I’m tempted to say she’s a little too glamorous for this particular part, as she can’t pass for Just Another Person with her made-for-the-screen looks; the movie possibly could have been more effective with an unknown in the lead. Then again, I have to remind myself that it’s not only “normal-looking” or “less-attractive” women who have difficulties in life and have to overcome severe traumas. Like the movie’s plain, realistic approach, it works. I think the real stars of the movie are Jean-Marc Vallee and screenwriter Nick Hornby—for crafting such a touching and natural-feeling movie—but Witherspoon gives a winning and heartfelt performance.

What Doesn’t Work?

Wild felt a bit long, but the only real complaint I have is that the movie doesn’t give you much to invest in (few supporting characters, few lengthy conversations). Then again, that’s kind of everyday real life, isn’t it? Life isn’t necessarily chock-full of Oscar-worthy emotional episodes or classic characterizations.

Content

Wild earns its R-rating. There are cuss words aplenty, plus some full frontal nudity and brief but graphic depictions of different sex positions. The squeamish will also have to deal with close-ups of bruises and blisters and needles poking into skin.

Bottom Line                                                                                     

It’s about a real woman’s pretty epic accomplishment, but Wild feels like one of the most matter-of-fact movies you’ll ever see. Then again, that random matter-of-factness is what makes it so real and relatable—you usually can’t control what memories you dwell on; you can’t take things back; not every encounter with a person of the opposite gender is a Meet Cute; we don’t always just “get over” things, and move on. Wild depicts personal traumas many will understand, and it could very well coax a few tears (I teared up twice). Starring Reese Witherspoon in a role that’s gotten Best Actress Oscar buzz, it’s a real-life out-in-the-wilderness flick along the lines of Into the Wild and 127 Hours, and it’s one of my favorite movies of the year so far.

Wild (2014)

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee
Screenplay by Nick Hornby
Based on the memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail” by Cheryl Strayed
Rated R
Length: 115 minutes