Review of Wild (2014) by Steven K — 13 Feb 2015

I was a bit reluctant to see this movie as I thought it might be somewhat tedious in the same way Robert Redford's last film was, 2 hours of dealing with the mechanics of survival against nature. It was more interesting than that and, philosophically speaking, I suppose it could be looked at as a wounded and rather wild girl's spiritual journey t becoming a more mature and responsible woman.

I am no particular fan of Ms. Witherspoon but she obviously put her heart and soul into this role and was wonderful. My only quibble with this film was that the males, by and large, were not exactly depicted in positive terms.

I think there was one male in the movie who wasn't either a leering possible sexual predator, a buffoon, or a grown juvenile. I suppose this was not surprising since this is a movie about a daughter who seemed to be following in the footsteps of her mom who settled for jerks and married an alcoholic.

However, nothing like Mother Nature to snap a wayward girl out of her immaturity. The movie is thin on plot, but packs a pretty good punch as a spiritual journey. It is not boring, and leaves you with something to think about after the credits have rolled.

The sound effects were unnerving at times; kept thinking I could hear rattle snakes and hoping she doesn't get bit. All in all, I recommend this beautiful and inspiring film.