Monday, 26 January 2015

Film: 'Wild'

Unexceptional film of true story depicting the 1,100 mile solo hike of Cheryl Strayed along the Pacific Crest Trail - roughly Mexican to Canadian borders, the subject being played by Reese Witherspoon. (In 2013, in inebriated condition to State trooper - "Do you know my name? You're about to find out who I am!") She's been nominated for an Oscar for this part but I didn't think it was that special enough to have been singled out for praise. I can see at least two or three worthier nominees in the list.

A lot of this film consists of numerous flashbacks during her journey - to her childhood with her brother and late, doting mother (Laura Dern); her infrequently seen, violent father; her earlier teenage and adult life. These are all presented with many jump-cuts which I found difficult in that just when I thought I was getting a handle on the situation it would return to her reminiscing in her tent or wherever. (Incidentally, towards the end I had to look away from the screen at the [edited] shooting of a horse).
She meets an assortment of characters on her way, mainly men, sometimes singly, other times not, getting one to invariably wonder whether they can be trusted. (Well, yes and no). Then there's unsurprising difficulties with the provisions and camping equipment she's brought with her (adequate? right sort?), plus a couple of brushes with creatures encountered.
I found it all somewhat run-of-the-mill, which is surprising in that the screenplay is by none other than Nick Hornby. But if the raw material, Strayed's own memoir, was fairly standard stuff then what else could be done with it? Inventing incidents that didn't happen wouldn't be fair.
The scenery is sometimes as spectacular as one might expect though there are fewer grand vistas than I might have thought, a fair amount of the film taking place in various tree-surrounded  locations, which could just as well have been anywhere else.
Director is Jean-Marc Vallee, he who directed the far superior 'Dallas Buyers Club' of 2013.

I'd imagine that the book might make a more interesting read than this film - though to be fair, the film has been generally well received. But it failed to light my campfire..................5/10.
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14 comments:

  1. Fearsome Beard27 January 2015 at 06:05

    I saw an interview recently with Cheryl Strayed. The interview was ok. I liked her story ok. While her interview was about her own growth, change and strenght it didn't light my campfire enough to go see the movie. If iTunes has it on a 99 cent special and I have a long flight coming up I might rent it.

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    1. Raybeard27 January 2015 at 06:48

      Your POV before you've seen it, FB, accurately encapsulates my own afterwards. I'd rather read Strayed's book (which could well be a zinger, for all I know) than see this film again, so far from a 'must-see' that I don't know why it's being so hyped up. It can only be that the film is being pitched at a more significant level than it achieves itself - i.e.in MY opinion!

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  2. Ron27 January 2015 at 14:52

    Ray,
    I used to have a favorable opinion of Reese before her infamous "Do you know who I am?" incident. Once I hear of any celebrity with that attitude it is almost impossible for me to be objective when I watch them act in a film. And just recently, during my visit to California, Pat and I had lunch with a woman who did some work for Reese "Do you know who I am?" Witherspoon. She, along with all the others who were in Ms. Witherspoon's house that day were given instructions "not to make eye contact with Ms. Witherspoon." Sorry, that did it for me with this self-absorbed diva.
    By the way, last night I watched the German film "Lost in Africa." Did you happen to see it and do a review? I would be interested in reading what you thought of it.
    Thanks!
    Ron

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    1. Raybeard27 January 2015 at 23:04

      Ron, firstly I didn't know 'Lost in Africa' at all. I'm assuming (having just looked it up on IMDb) that you're referring to the 2010 Danish film. If so, it didn't get a release here, even on the art-house cinema circuit. I see it featured the wide-ranged actor Mads Mikkelsen so that alone should have made it worthwhile, though I see that on the aforementioned film site it hasn't had a very good average viewer rating, which in itself doesn't necessarily mean much.

      As for Ms Reese Witheringlooks, I've been wondering whether this new film of hers is being pushed more than it deserves (I may opine) because, being as powerful now as she is (money talks!) it helps to put that 'unfortunate' incident behind her. She is after all, as the whole world knows, a highly talented actress, and this ought to be foremost in peoples' minds - so forget about such things as 'in vino veritas' - or 'in Jack Daniels veritas', or any other alcohol/drug intake where she might blurt out her honest opinion of herself, this incident was NOT typical of such a unfairly lampooned lady, towering talent that she is. We've just GOT to look up to her, have we not?

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    2. Harpers Keeper29 January 2015 at 07:52

      I'm not bothered by the "do you know who I am?" incident. Even if true, it is a third-person quote from a tabloid, after all, the essence is she's a young adult who made an ill-advised comment in a stressful situation under the influence of alcohol. I'm glad she wasn't driving.

      Worst case, her comment proves she's history's biggest psycho-diva-from-hell. That means I'd probably hate having brunch with her. It says nothing about her work on the screen. If we banish every performer, writer, composer, director who ever behaved in a way that shows them to be flawed human beings the talent pool gets very thin. Mark Wahlberg was twice convicted of racially-motivated hate-crimes which, to my mind, makes him a pretty vile human being. I still liked his performance in "Boogie Nights".

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    3. Raybeard30 January 2015 at 06:51

      H.K. I may be wrong but I think she not only didn't dispute the 'story' about what she said but she apologised for it.
      You make a fair point about everyone having their flaws. Actually it seems that the majority of 'celebrities' throughout history (including artists, composers, authors etc) have/had at least some degree of a personality that might be termed anti-social, even odious. But Witherspoon, as is not uncommon these days, seems to be yet another one (always young or relatively so) who accumulates an enviable amount of cash and takes that as a green light giving her the right to trumpet her 'worth', as though we all must bow in obeisance to her. Of course she was sozzled at the time and who hasn't blurted out things in such circumstances which we wish we could take back, myself no less than anyone. But I think there's also some truth in 'in vino veritas' which, in her case, reveals what she genuinely feels about herself and what other people's attitudes to her should be. I won't deny at experiencing some 'schadenfreude' at the incident.
      I won't rise to the bait of Wahlberg, whom I'm unable to see in anything without his past (including reputed homophobic pronouncements) getting in the way.

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    4. Harpers Keeper31 January 2015 at 05:28

      Valid points, I have stopped consuming some people's work after I've learned about their views. In other cases not. I am inconsistent. I don't watch Mel Gibson because he's an anti-Semite and Holocaust denier but I still attend Wagner operas. For whatever reason, with Ms W I more interested in her acting and not that troubled by her acting out.

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    5. Raybeard31 January 2015 at 05:58

      Whenever this 'lady' appears in a film again I'm going to pay more attention to her than usual because of what you say, which may be no bad thing, H.k..

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  3. Harpers Keeper29 January 2015 at 07:48

    Thanks for your insights.

    I have no great desire to see this movie. I hope it doesn't sound unenlightened or insensitive (or worse, misogynistic) but, at this point in my life, phrases like ' the empowering story of one woman's journey of self-discovery' don't send me speeding off to the box office. That is not to invalidate the experience, it's just not what I choose as entertainment. I'm sure I will see it on television at some point.

    I like Ms. Witherspoon as an actress. She seems to have a good range for drama and comedy. She is beautiful but has not built her career around that.

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    1. Raybeard30 January 2015 at 07:00

      I'm with you absolutely on terms like 'empowerment' and 'personal journey', H.K. It just makes me groan and puts me off wanting to see it.
      Actually this film has gotten a much better rating generally from viewers on IMDb than I'm giving, so there must be something there that I'm missing - though a lot of it seemed deja vu to me.

      She herself is quite a good actress. I wouldn't have described her as 'beautiful' myself, at last not in the classical sense, but her acting usually is good rather than otherwise, though I feel she is yet to accomplish a really major and memorable acting piece on the screen - which, to my mind, 'Wild' is not.

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  4. Ron29 January 2015 at 15:47

    Ray,
    I got the title of that movie wrong. It is "Nowhere in Africa" and was made in 2006. It is a German film.
    Ron

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    1. Raybeard29 January 2015 at 22:14

      Okay. Just looked it up on IMDb and the same goes for this too. Not only never seen it I've never even heard of it. But I note your high approval rating. Thanks.

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  5. Ur-spo31 January 2015 at 18:40

    I don't want to listen to personal journeys anymore unless they pay me rather hohoho

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    1. Raybeard31 January 2015 at 22:05

      I agree. It has become a bit of a yawn, exacerbated by the attitude that one is expected to be interested when, unless it's something truly extraordinary, we are, frankly, NOT!

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