Wild Movie Review Trailer Stars Reese Witherspoon Laura Dern
'Wild' Movie Review, Trailer Stars Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern Movies for Grownups
As Bobbi, plays a surprisingly large role, appearing not only in flashback but also as an imaginary companion at critical points in her daughter's long walk. This easily could have been a thankless role; thanks to Dern's nuanced performance, however, we feel Bobbi's vital presence throughout, much as her daughter does. Interior dialogues will keep an audience engaged for only so long, however, so it's a good thing this was no solo slog. Strayed encounters a scary farmer who turns out to be a pussycat, a couple of threatening hunters and a friendly guy she discovers skinny-dipping in a mountain spring. Then there's Strayed's former husband, Paul () — surely the most understanding ex in history — who sends her care packages and encouraging messages along the way. Despite those intriguing secondary roles played by an appealing cast, Wild is Witherspoon's film. Her eyes glued to the horizon, that prominent chin jutting defiantly forward, she leads us down the trail with gritty determination. We're happy to accompany her every step of the way. Bill Newcott is a writer, editor and movie critic for AARP Media.
Taming Demons With Something ' Wild'
Reese Witherspoon treks from the pits to the peaks
Rated: R Run time: 1 hour 55 minutes Stars: Laura Dern, Gaby Hoffmann, Kevin Rankin, Thomas Sadoski, Reese Witherspoon Director: Jean-Marc Vallée Somewhere in her fevered mind, writer felt compelled to cope with her myriad emotional problems by walking 1,100 miles of the which stretches 2,663 miles from to . What she saved in psychiatric fees she no doubt spent on shoe leather, but judging from this spectacular new film — epic in scope yet intensely personal in nature — Strayed's journeys, both topographic and interior, make for the kind of adventure it's better to read about … or watch in a quiet theater. Everett Collection Reese Witherspoon makes Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild" journey, both topographic and interior. Starring as Strayed is , whose perky persona has been left for dead with gutsy roles like this one. (Check her out in or the upcoming ) In her bestselling 2012 memoir, , Strayed recounted the unraveling of her life in the early 1990s: Following the lung-cancer death of her (nonsmoking) mother, Bobbi, at just 45, she sank into a pattern of heroin use and sexual promiscuity that ultimately scuttled her marriage. Those episodes are bravely re-created by Witherspoon and presented unflinchingly by director (), whose vision progresses from claustrophobic back-alley sex to breathtaking vistas of the high Sierra. Strayed's sad history is told in flashback. We meet her in mid-hike, clumsily knocking one hiking boot over a precipice, cursing at the world, then looking around and realizing that if she tries to proceed barefoot life will be, quite literally, all downhill from here. Episodes along the trail evoke memories of her difficult childhood with an abusive father (who would soon abandon the family) and a high-strung but fiercely devoted mother.As Bobbi, plays a surprisingly large role, appearing not only in flashback but also as an imaginary companion at critical points in her daughter's long walk. This easily could have been a thankless role; thanks to Dern's nuanced performance, however, we feel Bobbi's vital presence throughout, much as her daughter does. Interior dialogues will keep an audience engaged for only so long, however, so it's a good thing this was no solo slog. Strayed encounters a scary farmer who turns out to be a pussycat, a couple of threatening hunters and a friendly guy she discovers skinny-dipping in a mountain spring. Then there's Strayed's former husband, Paul () — surely the most understanding ex in history — who sends her care packages and encouraging messages along the way. Despite those intriguing secondary roles played by an appealing cast, Wild is Witherspoon's film. Her eyes glued to the horizon, that prominent chin jutting defiantly forward, she leads us down the trail with gritty determination. We're happy to accompany her every step of the way. Bill Newcott is a writer, editor and movie critic for AARP Media.