Profoundly Boring and Pretentious

Rating: 4/10 (21 September 2007)

"Into the Wild," has the ingredients that should lead to a good film; a talented cast, an Oscar-winning actor at the helm, and what should be the compelling story of a young man who left everything behind to find himself in the wilderness. Unfortunately, the movie is marred by several problems. One of them is the two hour and twenty minute running time. The film would greatly benefit if it were trimmed by thirty minutes. There are constant shots of Emile Hirsch as Christopher McCandless, standing on top of a mountain, bus, anything he can stand on and spreading his arms towards the sky. The film is also weighed down by an overly dramatic, pretentious voice over that reminds the viewer they're watching a movie every time they hear it. Sean Penn's direction is at times heavy-handed and self-conscious, which is surprising coming from an actor as gifted as Penn. Emile Hirsch is appealing but his performance has a self-awareness in certain key scenes that are meant to illuminate what drives Christopher. This is especially apparent in the scene with his parents, played by William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden, the first encounter with Catherine Keener's character, and the bar scene with Vince Vaughn. I have not read the book on which the movie is based, but probably the biggest flaw with the film is that Christopher McCandless comes off as a spoiled, self-righteous, whiner. The people Christopher meets along his journey, however briefly, are infinitely more interesting and engaging than he is. The best part of the movie, and the most meaningful, is the section with Hal Holbrook, who does a beautiful job. It's a shame the rest of the movie is not as seamless and unaffected. I know there are people who will find this film to be profound, and they are correct. It is profoundly boring and in love with itself.