as much as i wanted to like this film as i went into it , the more pleased i was when i left .
first , getting through all the usual lines of newspaper glitz : " if you liked scream , you 'll love wild things ! "
" campbell gives a stunning performance ! "
" this twisty plot will have you dazzled for days !
" ( oh yeah , the day a newspaper uses these is
the day neve campbell falls in love with me ) now , onto more serious stuff ( and with this film , i mean that in nearly a sarcastic way ) .
wild things has single - handedly broken down the rules surrounding the r rating from the mpaa .
i 'm not saying that in a bad way , but when you see this film , you may be shocked by what you see .
however , perhaps the mpaa was pleased by the film 's charming cast and tricky plot , that they let the film slide with an r rating .
being mormon , i 'm bound to hear an uproar from religious zealots warning me not to see the film .
trouble is , i have already seen it . and
i like it !
wild things is a film noir of the 90s , filled with 40s sensibilities , and yet breaking the rules and modern - day taboos of 90s culture .
the style in which it is filmed is rich in color .
the actors are all gorgeous people , seemingly drawn from the same gene pool and placed into this film .
sure , it 's all too good to be true , but ai n't it fun to watch ?
when movies like this come along ( sort of a better version of basic instinct ) there is bound to be people who either love it or hate it .
there will be people who do n't want to admit liking what they see , but i tell you , most anyone who sees this will like it .
wild things begins at blue bay high school , the one high school in the world that any teenager would love to get into .
it 's almost as if students are put through entrance exams just for admittance ( totally based on looks alone ) .
of course , there are those select few who may look slightly ugly , but compared to the average person , they are gorgeous .
immediately , the film finds its tone and the audience settles in for an enjoyable time .
we can turn off our brains , right ? wrong .
while you may be expecting one thing to happen , it certainly does n't turn out that way .
the film begins in a classroom , with nearly all the main characters present .
there 's sam lombardo ( matt dillon ) , a counselor for the students .
he 's heading the class discussion .
there 's also kelly van ryan ( denise richards ) , a snobby rich teen who has fallen in love with sam .
teaching the class , however , are two policemen : ray duquette ( kevin bacon ) and gloria perez ( daphne rubin - vega ) , who want to talk about ' sex . . .
( cheers ) crimes ( boos ) ' .
"
what is a sex crime ?
" ray asks .
" not gettin ' any !
" one student responds .
this pretty much sets the tone of the film we are about to watch .
however , upon hearing this , one student , suzie toller ( neve campbell ) , stands up and leaves the room , commenting that they can both kiss part of her body .
and so , wild things sets into motion .
quickly , kelly begins hitting on sam , but sam does n't want anything to do with her advances .
kelly is stubborn and continues to pursue him .
she even pleads with him to let her wash his jeep .
surprisingly , that 's really all i can tell you about the plot .
any more would give away one of the many crucial plot twists .
and what 's more , these plot twists are actually unpredictable .
going along the way of scream , wild things maintains that film 's surprises , and then adds even more to them .
there are more plot twists in this film than probably any i have ever seen .
and even though you think you may get tired of them , the surprises are so genuine that it 's rather pleasing
.
going back over them in my mind , nearly all of them work , though some stretch the boundaries of belief .
thankfully , the convoluted plot does n't give us much time to think about each one , pouncing yet another twist on us before the shock of the previous one has worn off .
as for the critics who complain that the film is trashy -- well , it is .
this is pretty much just one trashy film .
however , it is the kind of trashy that is n't hard to watch .
it 's good trash , in a sense .
one , the screenplay knows that it 's not to be taken seriously , and it includes a lot of humor and satire into the story .
this varies everywhere from kelly 's mother ( theresa russell ) , who is more of a caricature of rich people , all the way to an ambulance - chasing lawyer ( bill murray ) , who wears a neck - brace to cover an insurance scam he is running .
bill murray also provides the best character in the film , and most of the genuine laughs .
and two , the sex is more than gratuitous , although not unwelcomed .
wild things is supposed to have sex in it ( what film with that title would n't ? ) , and this movie breaks the boundaries .
instead of having heterosexual sex scenes , it also includes lesbian scenes between denise richards and neve campbell
( do n't worry . . .
it 's not as graphic as you might think ) .
the heterosexual scenes are quite graphic , but the surprise shocker is kevin bacon 's full - frontal nude scene .
it 's very brief , so if you blink , you may miss ( ahem ) it .
and , for as long as i can remember , i do n't think i have seen an r - rated film show an erect one before ( it 's not completely , but judging from the audiences ' reaction , it was more than they expected too ) .
also , during one scene late in the film , there seemed to be a relationship brewing between bacon and dillon 's characters , but nothing came of it ( makes you wonder if the director had to cut it in order for the r rating , or if the actors refused to do it ) .
what first made me want to see wild things was its cast .
neve campbell , of course , has been one of my favorite actresses since the scream films were released .
here , however , she turns every typical role she has done on its head and plays a gothic pothead .
the closest role to this was her performance in the craft ( though even in that she was a nice girl ) .
campbell is
probably the best in the film and shows her wide range of talent .
you can tell she will be around for a long time .
denise richards will also be around for a long time , although she may be limited to the roles without much range .
here , she gets to express more emotions than in her stiff ( yet effective ) performance in starship troopers .
hopefully one day she will land a very good role that can display her ability .
and then there is daphne rubin - vega , a newcomer to the movies .
she gives a very good performance , although her character is mostly left to the background for the first hour and a half .
towards the end she does get a bigger part .
on the male side , matt dillon is probably the best , giving a subtle performance that surprises with every twist .
kevin bacon has a slightly wooden character , but he makes the most of it .
you must have admiration , though , for what he did on screen .
and judging from many of the women 's reactions in the theater to that shot , they have grown a deeper appreciation for bacon (
yeah , right ) .
and then there is bill murray .
his performance is the comic relief , and he nearly steals the film . as a whole ,
the entire cast works wondrously together , and they seem at home , even when doing the menage a troi .
director john mcnaughton , who has previously done the critically acclaimed henry : portrait of a serial killer , has constructed a wonderfully twisty plot that works .
his direction is smooth and stylish .
the visuals are striking , filled with rich colors , and almost so realistic that we can actually breathe the humidity in the air
.
however , he seems more at home when the actors are n't talking .
his fly - by shots of the swampy areas are brilliant , and his photography of denise richards ' climbing out of the pool is a highlight .
the cinematography is gorgeous in its details .
its not often that you see a film like this , and we should watch it just to see how the camera can take pictures .
then , there is the music .
this was probably the most obvious thing to me , as it set the perfect mood for the film .
it 's hard to describe in words , so just see the film and listen to it .
it 's wonderfully composed and presented .
and be sure to stick around during the closing credits !
mcnaughton has finally put the ending credits to good use ( while most comedies use it for outtakes ) .
he has included some small scenes which help explain the preceding events .
some may say that these are lame attempts to explain the convoluted plot , but it 's an entertaining way to finish the film .
plus , there are some shocking moments in these ending credits which just add to the fun .
wild things is appropriately rated r for strong sexuality , nudity , language and violence .
again , the nudity is rather unnecessary , but let 's face it -- people want to see it .
so why not give it to them ?
neve campbell , admirably , has a no - nudity clause in her contract , and the most you see of her is from behind as she takes her top off ( way to go , neve ! ) .
the sex scenes are graphic , especially the first one we see , between the mother and one of her deck hands .
one almost wonders how they got away with the r rating .
the language is quite harsh too , ranging from sexual innuendo to your average , everyday profanity .
and i ca n't stress it enough : do n't allow kids under 18 to see this film .
the target age for the movie is the 18 - 24 range , and that 's who should see it .
it 's definitely not for those under 18 !
did i mention that this film is rated r ?
however , for those that do get a chance to watch it , you will probably more likely be pleased , and may even take friends to see it the next time .
Output: P