Wild (2014)
84%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 4 nominations
Powerfully moving and emotionally resonant, Wild finds director Jean-Marc Vallée and star Reese Witherspoon working at the peak of their respective powers
Wild” is a movie that will make you want to pack your bags and go on a hike, but then you remember you hate bugs and sweating. Reese Witherspoon gives a powerful performance as Cheryl Strayed, a woman who hikes the Pacific Crest Trail to find herself. The movie beautifully captures the stunning scenery and the internal struggles of the character. It’s a must-watch for anyone who loves a good adventure story, or just wants to see Reese Witherspoon carry a backpack for two hours.
Production Company(ies)
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Hessischer Rundfunk
Distributor
Fox Searchlight
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park – 1200 S. Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne, Florida, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong sexuality, nudity, language and some violence
Year of Release
1998
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SDDS DTS
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Aspect ratio:2.40 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 2015
Genre(s)
Biography/Drama/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Michiel Huisman, Gaby Hoffmann, Kevin Rankin, directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, written by Nick Hornby, biography, drama, adventure, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Candice Frederick, Jason Bailey, David Sims, Stephen Romei, Mark Kermode, Geoffrey Macnab, Q.V Hough, Don Shanahan, Jennifer Merin, Anne Brodie, Richard Crouse, Nicole Ackman, emotionally resonant, Pacific Crest Trail, self-destructive behavior, outdoors experience, backpack, Fox Searchlight, Dolby Digital, Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea, Bill Pohlad
Worldwide gross: $30,166,293
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $55,359,401
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,282
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 6,037,012
US/Canada gross: $30,147,739
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $55,325,352
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,023
US/Canada opening weekend: $9,622,444
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,658,542
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 717
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $36,702,820
Production budget ranking: 1,020
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,764,469
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$1,107,887
ROI to date (est.): -2%
ROI ranking: 1,406
Laura Dern – Bobbi
Thomas Sadoski – Paul
Michiel Huisman – Jonathan
Gaby Hoffmann – Aimee
Kevin Rankin – Greg
Director(s)
Jean-Marc Vallée
Writer(s)
Nick Hornby
Producer(s)
Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea, Bill Pohlad
Film Festivals
Telluride, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 4 nominations
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (280) | Top Critics (77) | Fresh (247) | Rotten (33)
But despite its unclear message, there is a certain charm to Wild that smooths away its thorny exterior to reveal a broken character…
September 1, 2017 | Rating: C+
Candice Frederick
Reel Talk Online
TOP CRITIC
For all of the trouble ‘Wild’ takes to get into Strayed’s head, you’d think they might’ve drafted filmmakers with a little bit more experience living in a place like that.
June 7, 2016
Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
TOP CRITIC
It captures an emotional memoir without making it feel like a didactic tale of triumph over adversity.
October 14, 2015
David Sims
The Atlantic
TOP CRITIC
What I like most about Wild is its nuance, its sense of uncertainty and its willingness to leave unanswerable questions unanswered.
January 23, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Stephen Romei
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
While the external scenery is spectacular, it’s the internal landscapes that capture and hold our attention.
January 18, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
A film about someone going on a very long walk doesn’t sound especially dramatic but Nick Hornby’s screenplay (adapted from Strayed’s book) brings out Cheryl’s yearning as well as the epic quality of her mini-Odyssey.
January 16, 2015 | Rating: 4/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
“Witherspoon delivers a powerhouse performance in ‘Wild.'”
June 27, 2022
Q.V. Hough
Vague Visages
“Wild” is truly a film that every woman should see and one they should put on a more preferred pedestal for ideals compared to the “chick flicks” that ruin women’s good sense.
June 26, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Don Shanahan
Every Movie Has a Lesson
The cinematography is great. We have here an epic journey of self discovery.
October 7, 2021
Jennifer Merin
AWFJ Women on Film
Wild is an extraordinary experience, a spiritual and emotional coming of age for a mourning daughter set against nature. A perfect film from Jean-Marc Vallée and awards-worthy performance from Reese Witherspoon.
October 7, 2021
Anne Brodie
AWFJ Women on Film
It’s too bad that the movie, in its last thirty minutes, doesn’t trust the audience to process what it just saw.
February 2, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
At its core, it’s actually about a woman coming to terms with her tragic past, including the death of her beloved mother, and figuring out how to forge a future for herself.
January 30, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Nicole Ackman
Next Best Picture…
Plot
Having recently been named educator of the year, Sam Lombardo is the well-liked guidance counselor and sailing instructor at Blue Bay High School on the Florida coast just outside Miami. The student body of the school is largely comprised of the offspring of the country club set, and while he helps any student he can, he especially tries to mentor those who are disadvantaged, such as Jimmy Leach who would not have been able to afford being in the sailing program otherwise, and tough Suzie Toller, a proverbial swamp girl who he’s helped through a few scrapes with the law in the absence of any parents, Suzie living with her streetwise grandmother Ruby at an alligator sideshow zoo. Although not socioeconomically part of that country club set himself, he nonetheless has ingratiated himself within it, he having slept with a good number of the country club maidens, he currently settled into a relationship with Barbara Baxter, the well-off daughter of high powered lawyer Tom Baxter. Sam’s world comes crashing down around him when student Kelly Van Ryan, who has made it quite clear to her classmates she is sexually attracted to him and who is the daughter of one of his former bed mates, sexually provocative widow and socially powerful Sandra Van Ryan, accuses him of raping her. Already in trouble in that no one can fight and win against the Van Ryans in Blue Bay, Sam, whose career is ruined regardless of his guilt or innocence in never being able to recover from such accusations, gets into even more problems when Suzie quickly thereafter comes forward also accusing him of previously raping her, her story similar to Kelly’s. The likelihood of Kelly and Suzie colluding together to manufacture similar stories is remote as it is well known that they have always detested each other. Having now become persona non grata among that country club set, Sam is forced to hire sleazy storefront lawyer Ken Bowden to defend him. Blue Bay Police Detective Ray Duquette of the Sex Crimes Division, he investigating with his partner Gloria Perez, goes against her advice and that of DA Bryce Hunter by delving into sensitive areas in believing that not all associated with the case are as they appear on the surface.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Reese Witherspoon delivers a powerhouse performance in Wild, according to one critic.
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