Wild (2014)

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. I found myself just not caring, liking or sympathizing with Witherspoon's character in the least. I mean, many people have rough, tragic lives but we all don't go off the deep end and become drug-addicted, foul mouthed, adulterous, disrespectful, promiscuous sluts. There is nothing noble or overcoming about this movie. It's a story about an unlikeable, mentally dysfunctional woman trying to resolve her problems by taking a hike. Instead of wasting 2 hours on this dog, I should have taken a hike away from my TV.

I really enjoyed this film, but I'm slightly biased since I really enjoyed the book too. Still, it's rare we see strong and complex women adventuring in American cinema. And it shouldn't be. This film let itself unfold in images and thoughts and moments, mostly resisting the urge to tell rather than show. And it overcame the familiar territory and unavoidable cliches to be a movie that worked.

For the first 10 to 15 mins the movie looked really good got me hooked until the flashbacks took over and gosh they were all over the place they took up more then half of the movie i mean for a movie to be called wild you would expect it to have a lot of nature beautiful scenery but in total maybe 20 to 30 min were of hiking which made the movie hard to watch for me and what the hell was with the drug use and sex scenes i did not want to see that in this particular kind of movie and one last thing what the hell happened to the baby she was carrying it was never explained and before i go i thought she went on this hike to get over the sadness of her mothers passing how can this have a 7.4 I've hikes camped and all that this is nothing like it

Reese Witherspoon played her role has Cheryl with enough emotion, fear, and pain to make it not only believable, but tough to watch. It's nice to see Reese Witherspoon in a role that doesn't involve her being just a pretty blonde. The outline of the story was very well done and the idea of the theme blended so well with the story, that I felt changed in some way as well. The thing about this movie that really stands out is the way the director makes ever viewer feel as if they are experiencing the pain she is feeling and how relatable she seems at the first point in her journey, clueless but determined. The beginning dragged out but the biggest problem was that most of the suspense and drama were shown in mostly the flashbacks. I mean she is alone in the woods! The part with the creepy redneck and when she ran out of water was about it. There came a time in the movie, where I felt as if she was in no danger on the trail. Understandably the flashbacks were meant for most of the drama, but I believe the two story lines could've connected better through more action on her journey. It was interesting to see two different stories play out well seeing how neither plot could survive without the other. Despite some long parts and unnecessary b role, a key part that made this movie successful was that the resilient and well liked Reese Witherspoon's, Cheryl, was so simple. Cheryl, the protagonist, is a good character for this film. She is not a super being, not a saint, just a person. That's why she becomes so relatable, we want her to win, to beat this trail. Possibly because we would want ourselves to win in this situation, and see a part of us in her. Another idea that was present, was the idea that her journey was symbolic in the sense that it was her way of finding herself, letting go, and freeing herself from the past she desperately held on to. Thus ending her journey with almost seeming enlightened, which for many makes this hike a representation of life itself. Death, fear, sex, all get the heart racing in this Women vs. Nature Drama. Many parts of it became too long, the story could've focused more on the trail, and there could have been more suspense, but the acting, directing, and main theme of the movie help overlook that and make this a well worth 120 minutes.