Wild

Plot synopsis:
In the opening scene (set in the year 1995), a young woman named Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) is seen reaching the top of a cliff while carrying a big pack. She is exhausted and takes a seat, where she removes one of her boots. She peels off the sock to reveal that one of her toenails is about to fall off from all the pressure on her feet. She peels the toenail off, but then accidentally knocks the boot off the cliff edge and watches helplessly as it tumbles down the cliff face. She removes the other boot and hurls it over the edge, screaming in frustration.In a flashback, the movie goes back to the first day of her journey where she checks in to a motel room with an enormous backpack. The motel clerk tells her that there will be an extra charge if a man stays with her, and though Cheryl insists she is by herself, the clerk keeps repeating there will be an extra charge. The clerk also asks for a home address. Cheryl explains that she's hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and doesn't have an address, so the clerk tells her to put her parents' address down. Cheryl hesitates but eventually puts an address down.She goes to her room and makes a phone call to a man. She tells the man that she had to put an address down for her motel and she provided his. The man, Paul (Thomas Sadoski), confirms that it's fine and she should feel free to put his address down. Cheryl says she was also looking for her brother, even though she's not sure he will even care. Paul tells her that he will pass along a message to her brother and asks how she's feeling about the hike. They have a strained conversation and eventually Paul tells her that he has company and he's making dinner so he will need to get off the phone. Cheryl seems to be uncomfortable with this information but Paul tells her that she's the one who felt she had to hike 1,000 miles.As Cheryl goes through her prep, we see flashes of memories, Cheryl having sex with someone, her mother dancing, Cheryl using heroin, Cheryl fighting with a man in a car. These flashes happen repeatedly throughout the movie. Her pack is enormous and she can barely get it on her back and stand up with it. She goes outside to a gas station to find someone to approach for a ride. She sees an older man traveling with a woman in a minivan, and they agree to give her a ride to the beginning of the trail. The man plays oldies on his radio, which Cheryl sings along to and remembers singing along with her mother as a child.The couple drops Cheryl off at the beginning of the trail, which is marked by a signpost as well as a notebook log for travelers to sign (Day 1). She leaves quotes and song lyrics along the path, attributing them to both the original speaker as well as herself. She looks ahead with uncertainty, but forges ahead. She only makes it a few miles before stopping to set up a camp. She is clearly a novice hiker and camper. During her first stop, she struggles to put up her tent. When she gets out her camping stove, she realizes that she purchased the wrong kind of gas. She adds water to her grains and just eats the mush. She continues for several days, at a slow pace, eating nothing but mush. She comes to a literal crossroad, and she can continue on the trail or take the paved road back to a town. She decides to keep going.One afternoon (Day 5) she finally comes upon a truck and someone riding a tractor. She runs up to catch the rider before he rides away to beg for a ride back to town. As she approaches, she sees it's a man by himself. She asks if he could give her a ride somewhere she can get a hot meal. The man seems suspicious of her and says he's working, and she says she can wait for him to be done. He says by the time he's done, no restaurant in town will be open. She responds that she can camp somewhere near the restaurant and wait for it to open. Realizing that she won't be put off, the man agrees to take her when he's done and tells her to wait in his truck.Cheryl waits in the truck and pokes around while waiting for the man. She finds a gun in the glove compartment, which she puts back. The man gets in the truck when he's done, sitting and starring at her. Cheryl starts to feel uncomfortable. The man tells her that he's decided that she can go to his house where she can have a hot meal and a shower. Cheryl tells him that he doesn't have to do that, he can just take her into town, but he insists. He also swigs from a flask and hands it to her. She takes it and feeling more and more uncomfortable, she tries to casually tell him that her husband had hiked on ahead of her and they had planned to regroup in a few days. The man stares at her and then tells her he likes to relax after a hard day's work. The man reaches under his dashboard and yanks something out, revealing it to be red licorice. He grins and hands Cheryl a piece, telling her not to tell his wife as she doesn't allow him to have candy. Cheryl laughs and the man drives her to his home. The man and his wife welcome Cheryl into their home, serving her a hot home-cooked meal, though the wife puts down newspapers on Cheryl's chair as she's been hiking for many days. The man remarks that if he wouldn't allow his wife to go on such a difficult hike on her own and his wife warmly teases him. Despite their rough appearance, they are clearly kind, decent people.In the morning, the man drives Cheryl into town so she can buy the right kind of gas for her stove and takes her back to the trail. Cheryl confesses that she made up the story about her husband because she was nervous, but the man tells her that he understands. He asks her if she ever thinks about quitting, and she tells him that it only occurs to her every two minutes. He tells her that he's quit many things in life, marriages, jobs, but he never felt he had a choice.Cheryl continues on the trail slowly. As she walks in solitude, there are multiple flashbacks which unfold out of order. She remembers her mother, Bobbi (Laura Dern), dancing with her and her younger brother Leif (Keene McRae) as children. She remembers her mother rushing them out of their childhood home to escape her abusive father. She remembers the rural farmhouse they moved to in rural Minnesota, where they lived in poverty as her mother tried to make their childhoods happy and full of love.Cheryl reads a book in her tent at night, and in a flashback we see that she derided her mother for reading the same book, dismissing the author and his writing style. Apparently Bobbi decided to go back to college late in life and attended the same college as Cheryl, at the same time. Cheryl remembers being embarrassed of her mother, barely acknowledging her in a hallway, but then apologizing to her for it later that night. Bobbi tells her she understands that it's weird, and it's fine. Leif arrives home with a friend, and Bobbi immediately stops her homework to fix them something to eat. Cheryl is annoyed by this and tells Bobbi and Leif is old enough to get himself something to eat and that Bobbi should be focused on her schoolwork, but Bobbi tells her that being a mother is the most important thing in her life.Cheryl continues to hike (Day 10), struggling with her large pack and encounters a rattlesnake, rainstorms and other struggles. On Day 12, she eventually comes upon another hiker bathing in a stream named Greg (Kevin Rankin). They have a brief, friendly chat about the hike and how it's going. Greg tells her that he's been averaging over 20 miles a day, and Cheryl is embarrassed to admit how slowly she's been going. Greg also tells her that a section of the trail was hit by snow and that most hikers will be taking a bus to bypass the section. They make plans to meet at Kennedy Meadows, a major stopping and resupply point on the trail, which Greg will reach in just a few days.Cheryl continues on the hike, finally reaching Kennedy Meadows (on Day 14), where she is greeted enthusiastically with applause by Greg and several other hikers, who are all men. Greg offers to buy Cheryl a drink, and she tells him that she's been dreaming of Snapple lemonade and potato chips for days. The hikers are all impressed with Cheryl, but they tease her about her enormous pack, which they've nicknamed Monster. Cheryl picks up a package that was sent by her friend Aimee (Gaby Hoffmann) with fresh clothes and more supplies. A man named Ed, who works at the campsite, offers to help Cheryl repack her gear to lighten the load. He gently teases her about the many items she's packed that she realizes she's never used like heavy camera equipment, condoms and other items. He also advises her to stop carrying so many books, but she refuses to dump them. He tells her that she should rip out the pages of a book after she's read that section to lighten the weight. When she mentions that she's been losing toenails, he advises her that it means her shoes are too small and she should call REI who will send a new pair to the next pick up station where they will be waiting for her. Greg again advises her to bypass the snow covered section and take a bus, but Cheryl insists she wants to hit her 1,000 mile goal. He simply tells her to add extra distance to her originally planned ending point and finish up at the Bridge of the Gods in Oregon instead.Cheryl is next seen taking a bus from Kennedy Meadows to a point around the mountains near Reno, Nevada to continue the hike. One day (Day 25), while hitchhiking along a road, she has an encounter with a man driving by who introduces himself as Jimmy Carter who asks her some questions saying that he works for a magazine called Hobo Times, and assumes that she is a hobo. Despite telling him that she is just hiking the PCT, be becomes pushy and asks her questions such as her current place of residence as well as job status. Cheryl becomes annoyed with him and tells him to leave, and he drives off.After hitching another ride with a hippie family, Cheryl continues on the hike, struggling with the difficult path and bad conditions. She has to cross rivers and hike through snow up in the Sierra Mountains, but perseveres on. She has an encounter with two snowboarders whom she asks for directions. One of them tells her that she is current in Plumas County, California. They ask if she is lost, but she tells them 'no' and continues on. While making camp, she sees a red fox looking at her. It runs off when she approaches it.She reaches the point shown in the opening scene, where she loses her boots down a cliff face. She straps on her sandals, duct taping them to her feet for extra support, and continues on.On Day 49, when she reaches the next stopping point on the trail, she is relieved to find her new boots waiting for her. She is also overjoyed to meet another woman hiking the trail, as there are so few of them. The woman, named Stacey Johnson, tells her that she met Greg along the way who ultimately had to quit the hike before completing it. Cheryl is astonished to hear that she is still hiking when Greg, the experienced hiker, had to quit.In a flashback, Cheryl remembers complaining to Bobbi about the state of their lives. They both work full time as waitresses and live in a dump of a house. She asks Bobbi if she's not unhappy with her life, having been married to "an abusive asshole". Bobbi tells her that she doesn't regret being married to an abusive man because it brought her children into her life.More flashbacks show that Bobbi is diagnosed with a late stage spinal cancer. She succumbs much more quickly than expected in March 1991 at age 47, and it sends Cheryl into a tailspin. She and Leif are further traumatized by having to put her mother's beloved horse down by shooting it. Cheryl begins to withdraw from life; she begins having sex with random strangers.... in a hotel room... in the alley behind the diner where she works... while still going home to her husband Paul. She also sleeps with a man who introduces her to heroin. Paul finds her in a drug den one day, sleeping naked with the man. He brings her home where after an argument about her current status, they agree to divorce.As Cheryl hikes across the deserts of northern California, she reaches a water station (on Day 56), desperate to refill her bottles. However, the water has run out and Cheryl is left with nothing to drink. She hikes along and finds a puddle of stagnant water filled with mosquitoes. She gets out her water filtration pump, fills it, adds iodine and waits for the water to be treated and safe to drink. As she sits, two hunters come upon her who are also looking for water. She explains that she's waiting for her water to be treated, but they are free to use her pump. One of the hunters makes sexually suggestive comments to her and leers at her, so Cheryl says that she will be on her way. She packs up her things, and the hunters say they will be leaving as well and head back the way they came. Cheryl walks off for a bit, but then returns to the site when the hunters are out of view. She changes her clothes and starts to set up her tent for the night when one of the hunters suddenly reappears. It is the same creep who leered at her, and he tells her that he likes her new clothes better because they show off her figure. He asks her why she came back and if she had been lying to them about leaving to get rid of them. She nervously tells him no, she just changed her mind. The tense moment is broken up when the other hunter calls for the man to hurry up and get back. The creepy hunter leaves and Cheryl quickly packs up and runs away as fast as she can.In another set of flashbacks, we see Cheryl getting matching tattoos with Paul. The tattoo artist asks what the occasion is, and Paul casually says that they are getting divorced but wanted to commemorate their journey together. The tattoo artist seems surprised, particularly when Cheryl blurts out that she cheated, a lot. The tattoo artists says that Cheryl seems sorry, and she responds that she is, nearly in tears. Paul soothes her. As they are about to mail their divorce papers, Paul asks how Cheryl's feeling about the new name she's chosen for herself, Strayed. Cheryl says it feels appropriate, given what's happened in her life. They mail the papers, embrace and separate.On the trail again, (on Day 62) Cheryl crosses the Oregon state like comes to the small town of Ashland which filled with hikers and many hippie types. She goes into a makeup store and samples products when the saleswoman tells her that no matter how much lipstick she puts on, she must take care of her personal hygiene first. Cheryl leaves the store and encounters an attractive man who is handling out flyers for a concert. He approaches Cheryl, who tries to maintain her distance. He gives her a flyer and tells her that he will put her name on the guest list for the event.Cheryl goes to a motel for the night, showers and makes herself up, heading to the show. The man brings her a drink and teases her about being unrecognizable now that she's all cleaned up. She goes home with him and sleeps with him. In the morning, she makes a phone call to Paul, leaving him a message. She tells him that she wrote his name in the sand on a beach that morning, as she does every time she's on a beach, but she won't do it anymore.Another few days later, Cheryl hikes through the rain to reach another supply station at Mount Hood State Park, but the man who works there is closing up for the day. She begs him to reopen so she can get her package which will contain fresh clothes and more supplies. The man says he will reopen for her, if she promises to have a drink with him. She hesitantly agrees, and he reopens the mail office. As he is inside getting her package, three young men hikers also enter the building. They recognize Cheryl as being the only woman who has been signing the mile marker logs and repeat back many of the quotes and lyrics she has left behind. The man comes out with Cheryl's package but tells the young men that he's already reopened once, and he won't do it again. Cheryl points out that he's not reopening because it's still open, and that given the miserable weather conditions, the packages will bring a little bit of relief. The man begrudgingly retrieves the other packages. Cheryl's package contains a letter from Paul who tells her that he's so proud of her for making it this far and he hopes she finds what she's looking for.Cheryl enjoys hanging out with the young hikers that night as they all camp out. In the morning, the man brings Cheryl a cup of coffee and a doughnut, which she gratefully accepts and the young men tease her over.In another flashback, Cheryl thinks of her friend Aimee who has been sending the packages for her. Cheryl meets Aimee for coffee who tells her she's disappointed in her for her behavior, using heroin and sleeping around. Cheryl defiantly tells her that she will try anything once and she's not ashamed of it. However, she breaks down when she confesses to Aimee that she thinks she's pregnant and unsure of who the father is. Aimee forces her to go to a store to buy a pregnancy test, and as they wait in line to purchase it, Cheryl sees a book about the Pacific Crest Trail. She takes the test, which confirms she is pregnant. She breaks down and tells Aimee that she can't be somebody's mother and decides to get an abortion right away. She grieves for her own mother and decides that she will go on a solitary hike on the PCT to walk herself back into the woman her mother raised her to be rather than the mess of a woman she's become.On Day 80, Cheryl is hiking through the woods when she encounters a lama, and an older woman and a young boy running up to her after their pack lama ran way. The little boy asks Cheryl about herself and she tells him about her father who left her and her mother who recently died. The boy sings Cheryl a song which makes her cry.She continues on the trail and finally reaches the Bridge of the Gods (on Day 94). In a final voice-over, as she walks across the bridge, Cheryl talks about finally finishing the hike, and ultimately remarrying and having two children of her own. She ponders whether she actually regrets the mistakes she's made, as it brought her to the place she is in her life now.Over the closing credits, there are photos of the real Cheryl Strayed taken during her real-life hiking journey.

Tags: flashback

Review:
A wonderful performance from Reese Witherspoon anchors this very good film about a troubled young woman who embarks on a miles-long hike as a sort of personal therapy to deal with the downward spiral of her life in the wake of her mother's (Laura Dern) death.
The movie's editor deftly integrates flashbacks of Dern and Witherspoon together with the character's hike through the wild, and avoids the monotony that usually plagues films when structured this way.One of the minor miracles of "Wild" is how subtly it explores not just the trials and dangers one would encounter in such a hike, but specifically how those trials and dangers are heightened, or at least are of a different nature, for a woman.
At the same time, the film restores one's faith a little bit in humanity, suggesting that most people are decent and kind and willing to help, no strings attached.Witherspoon and Dern were both justly Oscar nominated for their performances, and the gorgeous Pacific West scenery deserved an award of its own.Grade: A.
It is a constant struggle to not give up and give into self destruction and I am very thankful that the protagonist captured this feeling very well.Like the life of a lot of people, this movie is about the journey we take.
But as Cheryl is struggling on her hike flashbacks of her life before the Pacific Crest Trails are peppered throughout the movie and like anyone you're getting to know she starts to make sense.
I was surprised at how well the film managed to capture the essential elements of the book.The key was not the Pacific Coast Trail, but Cheryl Strayed's journey into self-discovery.
Your life will most likely determine whether or not you like this film, whether or not it moves you.I read the book and was not sure how they were going to make such an introspective novel into a movie but they did a pretty good job.
But the movie doesn't always have to be tough, whenever it stops into places with people, there is a real pleasant feeling around, especially when she is just expressing her thoughts to whoever she just met.There are a some flaws that are worth mentioning, specifically when it occasionally takes turn to a far different direction later on, somewhat abandoning the consistent emotion it accomplished.
The film had its interesting moments but Witherspoon's horrible character she portrayed and the many flashbacks got in the way and interrupted the movie's flow.
Wild tells the story of Cheryl, a drug fueled binge drinker who lost her mother and feels lost on the path to life so she decides to pick up and walk the Pacific coast trail.
Directed by Jean Marc Valèe of last year's Dallas Buyers Club, I was going into this hoping for a brilliant film, instead I came away with great cinematography, an unbelievable Reese Witherspoon and misguided story that wants to be something more than "a woman and the wilderness" movie.
As far as the screenplay is concerned...well, what screenplay, it is mostly Reese Witherspoon trekking across the Pacific trail while reminiscing about past times and discovering dead end relationships along the way.
Through flashbacks and less-than-one-second clips of film, we learn that Cheryl Strayed is recently divorced and grieving the death of her mother, a woman who was the "love of Strayed's life." Between the death and the divorce, Strayed has intercourse with anyone who asks, including her restaurant customers (sometimes more than one at a time) and bar patrons, but she no longer is intimate with her husband.
Wild was by far the worst movie I saw this year.In this movie Witherspoon bends from type to portray Cheryl Strayed, a woman dealing with sex and drug addiction and the premature loss of her mother who decides to hike the entirety of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Witherspoon is a sniveling, Flickian, narcissistic bitch, and therefore this so-called story of redemption—Woman Goes on 1,000-Mile Hike to Cleanse Herself of Sins and Find Herself—comes across not as real or raw or uplifting but just another tale of easy blonde triumph.I'm one of three people I know who liked Eat, Pray, Love.
I wanted a stronger realization.Pros: Great acting, deep characters, compelling story, some emotional impact, and amazing sceneryCons: Some needless nudity and needed a stronger sense of realization Overall Rating: 8.3/10P.S. If you enjoyed this film, you might also enjoy Into The Wild.
Here something blooms; from out of a silent crevice, an unknowing weed emerges singing into existence." That unknowing weed sings loud and clear in Jean Marc Vallée's (Dallas Buyer's Club) Wild, the story of 26-year-old Cheryl Strayed's 1,000 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995 in an attempt to redeem a troubled past.
Unlike John Curran's Tracks which documented naturalist Robyn Davidson's grueling nine-month journey through the Australian outback, Wild is more of an inward-looking psychological drama than a physical adventure, but it has enough of both to keep us focused.Based on a best-selling memoir, Wild stars Reese Witherspoon as Strayed, who hikes through deserts and mountains from California to Washington, pushing herself to the limit of her physical and mental strength.
The film is also not well served by a pointless meeting with a black reporter from the Hobo Times, and by shameless commercial tie-ins with Snapple and REI, (which Cheryl praises as the best corporation ever).In spite of its flaws, however, Vallée keeps the clichés manageable while the richly expressive performances of Witherspoon and Dern, the poetic sounds of Simon and Garfunkel's El Condor Pasa, and a memorable rendition of Red River Valley from a most unlikely source, combine to rescue Wild from its flirtation with banality and turn Cheryl's dark journey into an empowering transformation..
When Cheryl Strayed's (Reese Witherspoon) life has a good go at crashing and burning, largely due to her own poor decisions, she packs a rucksack and takes a 1,000 mile walk along the Pacific Crest Trail to, as she puts it, "find out how to become the girl my mother loved." Alone and woefully ill prepared for the trek, both physically and emotionally, hers is a journey through an unforgiving landscape of discovery, pain and hope.Adapted by Nick Hornby from Cheryl Strayed's own biographical account of her journey, Wild: From Lost to Found On the Pacific Crest Trail, and directed my Jean-Marc Vallée (Dallas Buyers Club), Wild is the darker sibling of 2010's The Way. But whereas The Way was a gentle, almost spiritual journey of a man making a conscious decision to complete his son's failed trek, Wild is a desperate attempt by a floundering woman to claw back something resembling life and peace.Though Reese Witherspoon won her Oscar for Walk the Line, I don't believe she has ever been better than here, stripped bare, exposed and raw.
This film tells the story of a woman who goes onto a one thousand mile hike along the mountain trails, in order to find herself after being hurt by major life events.I had high hopes for "Wild" because it was directed by the same person who directed "Dallas Buyers Club", which I thought was brilliant.
I wish pay-for-view had a refund policyReese plays a woman who in 1995 decides to walk 94 days from Mexico to Washington State because well....she's depressed, which you will be after seeing this film.Unlike Tom Hank's character in Castaway, the viewer will have little sympathy or empathy for Reese's character, Cheryl--yeah sure Cheryl's mother died young but then Cheryl becomes loose, does drugs,gets pregnant, doesn't know who the father is,lands on skid row etc.
And how this is done is a mystery to me and probably every one else as well.It is interesting to see this man (woman) against nature and self real life story develop and play it self out against the scenic backdrop of the "Pacific Crest Trail" that becomes an intricate part of the story as much as the different characters mostly the main character who I could not help but identify with on more than one level.If Ms. Witherspoon and the director can communicate this much than a very good job indeed has been done making this film well worth the admission price.I checked the Oscar nominations today as I wrote the above yesterday and indeed the performance of one Reese Witherspoon is nominated for best actressGood idea as I think she will win again!Hope she does.Still don't get that fox thing though..
Could have been titled "Horny Head Case Ex-Heroin Addict Adulterer With Foul Attitude and Potty Mouth Takes Time to Process Painful Memories That Many People Experience - While Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail", but I suppose "Wild" fits the marquee better.
I really like Wild, because it's a good story well played by Reese Witherspoon.
It's based on the memoir written by the real life Cheryl Strayed which I suspect would be a very interesting read.The movie really is more about the character than the actual hike itself and the events that take place.
I felt Reese Witherspoon did a fantastic job portraying this woman's story and really takes you through her journey with was very emotional and hard to watch at times!
Wild can be fondly compared to Jean-Marc Vallée's 2013 film Dallas Buyers Club in so many ways: both follow troubled drug/sex addicts on the road to self-discovery (whether they know it or not); both are poignant, intelligently visceral, funny, and undeniably realistic; both feature a great soundtrack of classic songs; and both are boosted by incredible performances by their lead actors.
In Wild, Reese Witherspoon's character does it quite literally and walks an incredible 1,100 miles...With its screenplay adapted by Nick Hornby, and under the direction of Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club), Wild collates the account of author Cheryl Strayed's true-life, played by Witherspoon.
It's not merely a woman walking for two hours on the screen  it's a great mix of beauty, pain, courage, fear and something all of us struggle with, forgiveness.While I was suspect of the movie, I was not worried about Reese Witherspoon giving us a great performance.
-Wild follows the real life story of Cheryl Strayed, who takes a 1000 mile journey to be the best she can be, let go of the past, and start living afterwards.
Reese Witherspoon and the makers of this film adeptly bring Cheryl's story to life.
Therefore I was looking forward to "Wild", since I read it was about the journey of discovery of a single woman.Turns out, the "single" woman was a promiscuous divorcée and her discovery boiled down to "whatever I did wrong, I would do it again".The story is based on Cheryl Strayed real-life1100 miles hike on the PCT, fueled by the death of her beloved mother and her descent into despair and debauchery.
It seems like there is no better way of finding yourself, than by losing yourself completely.Such is the case with Reese Witherspoon's newest feature Wild, based on the widely popular New York Times Best Seller and Oprah's Book Club 2.0 favourite "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" written by Cheryl Strayed.
Many of these questions aren't really answered by the film's end or in the countless flashbacks (that easily takes up an alarming amount the film's runtime) of Strayed highly traumatizing and delicate life, which poses some of the many problems of the film as a whole.Quebecois filmmaker and go-to Oscar caliber actors-director Jean Marc-Vallée, who helped Matthew McConaughey complete his A-List status as Ronald Woodruff in the highly appreciated Dallas Buyers Club, helms Witherspoon in a highly clichéd and simple narrative where a woman's only choice and answer for change, is nature.
'WILD': Four Stars (Out of Five)Biographical drama flick about a woman who decides to hike 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone, as a way of getting over her mother's death and a recent divorce.
I absolutely loved the scenery and local imagery (being from Oregon) and thought the movie itself was pretty interesting and well made too.The film is set in 1995, right after Cheryl Strayed (Witherspoon) lost her mother (Dern), suddenly and tragically, to a fatal illness.
Witherspoon did get a lot of help (though) from a great story, as well as on set support from Cheryl Strayed (for shoots in Oregon) and great direction from Jean-Marc Vallee (who directed two Oscar winning performances just last year, in 'DALLAS BUYERS CLUB').
I guess that explains her penance: hiking the beautiful but sometimes dangerous Pacific Crest Trail, alone, as a cleanse.I like Reese Witherspoon and believe her characterizations in all (oops; now only "most") of her films, but in the end I think she's better suited to comedy than drama.
After consummating "McConaissance" in DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013), Jean-Marc Vallée's next step is another star-vehicle biography, Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed, a young woman embarked on a 2,650-mile hike of Pacific Crest Trail from Minneapolis, Minnesota to the Bridge of the Gods connecting Oregon and Washington in 1995.
It's a movie that screams "Oscar" for its female lead and a film based around a redemptive true story but for all the good Wild does (which is largely in its use of its natural scenery) it never threatens to become something truly special that its very much like minded and similarly titled Into the Wild did back in 2007.Directed by Dallas Buyers Club's Jean-Marc Vallee, Wild is a step up in cinematic posturing from that solid drama in many aspects yet where Buyers Club found a soul in amongst all of the larger than life events Wild never hits high notes on its emotional payoffs due to a strange flashback structure, some unengaging inner monologues and sense we never really get to know Reese Witherspoon's Cheryl Strayed despite the fact we've spent the time with her on her months long journey walking the Pacific Crest Trail.
It would've also had been nice to get more of a feel for Cheryl and her relationship with estranged ex-husband Paul played by Thomas Sadoski and also her time with the undeservedly Oscar nominated Laura Dern as her caring mother Bobbi but Vallee marks his intention often that the trail is where his focus is on.With some great cinematography and a committed turn by the Oscar nominated Witherspoon, Wild is worthy of your time, yet one can't help but feel deep down there was a more emotionally resonate drama to be explored in the tale of lost soul finding redemption out in the great wilds of the American landscape that makes Wild feel like somewhat of a missed opportunity when it had the story, the actress and the lands to make something truly special.
In the movie Wild (2014), Reese Witherspoon plays the real life Cheryl Strayed, a woman tortured by personal demons who makes a 1,100 mile hike from Mexico to Canada.
It's as though she's starting a new life with this trek.I hope to see more movies like this, and I hope that Reese Witherspoon sticks more to serious roles.
Based on the true story of Cheryl Strayed and her emotional 1100 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail after an emotional catastrophe, Reese Witherspoon brings some of her best work to date.From director Jean-Marc Vallee, who shot to the directors A-list last year with "Dallas Buyers Club", he again is able to bring out the best in his central character, while at times leaving the rest of the movie behind.
This is a powerful journey to experience about a woman determined to become a better person.Full Review:With Oscar buzz and nomination of Reese Witherspoon, it's fair to say that I had some high expectations for the movie.
"I could feel it unspooling behind me-the old thread I'd lost, the new one I was spinning as I hiked." Reese Witherspoon has never been better, I said I don't see her in a lot of films but I hope she can keep getting leads like this I hope to see more of her in the future but I don't think she will be able to top her performance in this at least for quite a while.
Interesting and moving, but requires a bit of patience.The (true) story of Cheryl Strayed (played by Reese Witherspoon) who, in 1995, hiked the 1,700 km Pacific Crest Trail alone.
Director Jean-Marc Vallée captures the sights and sounds of nature as we travel the distance with an emotionally distraught heroine (Reese Witherspoon) on her way to recovery.Sex, drugs and more sex, this is the life that Cheryl Strayed is trying to leave behind.
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, this movie follows the true story of Cheryl Strayed (played by Reese Witherspoon), a twenty-something year old woman strained by her rocky marriage with her husband Paul (played by Thomas Sadoski) and troubled by her dark past including the death of her mother (played by Laura Dern).
The movie is very good as well, with Reese Witherspoon doing a good job portraying this woman who decides to hike 1100 miles in order to come to terms with her grief and put her life in order.
Reese Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed in a role based on Strayed's "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail." Laura Dern plays Strayed's mother, Bobbi.In general, I don't like acts of physical daring that are considered heroic.
Given what I've just written, it may be surprising that I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it.The reason I liked this film is the acting by Witherspoon and Dern.
As Into The Wild was, this movie is also a true story based lone character centered journey of hiking a long path, running away and seeking an atonement for his/her self- perceived dark past of relationships with others and life mistakes.
WILD, based on a memoir "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" written by Cheryl Strayedgives a profound view on her experiences.WILD tells about the story of woman's journey in past and present during her 1,100 miles hike to heal herself from a consequences of her life.