Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Gaby Hoffman, Kevin Rankin, Gaby Hoffman, Brian Van Holt
Directed By: Jean-Marc Vallee

Of course, I was instantly reminded of Into The Wild and 127 Hours, both films about men wandering off into the wilderness. Wild features a woman, and in case you didn’t know this, she’s still alive. She wrote the book on which the movie is based, so she does survive the walk.

What I liked about Wild, is how much Reese Witherspoon really gives of herself to the role and the character. It really has been a great year for women, with several women getting some terrific roles in film. Hers is one of the top, and she earned a much deserved Oscar nomination for it. Also, Laura Dern is pretty good in her role as well. The film is well paced, and even though she lives, you’d be surprised what you can live through. A particularly scary scene involves two hunters who come by and casually drop creepy rapey dialogue in the conversation. She’s scared, and you will be too.

I wish there had been more of the darkest timeline, meaning I wish we could see more of the days when heroin was the only option. I feel like we only get a glimpse, and lots of talk about recovery. I think if we had seen more, we could really get in her head more and understand why she’s making this journey. Because of the lack of connection, we in turn lack a real connection to her struggle and her story.

It’s not a perfect film, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a tour de force for Reese Witherspoon, who has truly never been better. Often times around Oscar season, we have films where the performance makes the film, and Witherspoon is the reason to see the film.

FINAL GRADE: B+