Jean-Marc Vallée directs Nick Hornby's bumpy transcription of Cheryl Strayed's memoir and the result is a very long song. The two-hour running time feels as long as the time it took Strayed to walk the 1,100 mile Pacific Coast Trail solo.
For those few who aren't familiar with the story, 'With the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother, Cheryl Strayed has lost all hope. After years of reckless, destructive behavior, she makes a rash decision. With absolutely no experience, driven only by sheer determination, Cheryl hikes more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone. Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthen, and ultimately heals her.'
Everyone praises Reese Witherspoon's performance so finding it tiresome is not a possible response. Much of the problem with this film is that 1) it is just too long, 2) the time on the trail is repetitive and not really redeeming, 3) the jumping around from past to present is clunky though Laura Dern and Thomas Sadowsi do rescue those portions, and 4) other than words on the screen in the last frame, is there any change in this character that we have observed in the hopscotch fashion of telling the story that is noticeable? Girl and brother are devastated by their mother's death so girl turns to alcohol, drugs, and frequent anonymous only to recreate a mother's influence in a sort of warped way by getting out and hiking. Must have missed something in the details.
For those few who aren't familiar with the story, 'With the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother, Cheryl Strayed has lost all hope. After years of reckless, destructive behavior, she makes a rash decision. With absolutely no experience, driven only by sheer determination, Cheryl hikes more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone. Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthen, and ultimately heals her.'
Everyone praises Reese Witherspoon's performance so finding it tiresome is not a possible response. Much of the problem with this film is that 1) it is just too long, 2) the time on the trail is repetitive and not really redeeming, 3) the jumping around from past to present is clunky though Laura Dern and Thomas Sadowsi do rescue those portions, and 4) other than words on the screen in the last frame, is there any change in this character that we have observed in the hopscotch fashion of telling the story that is noticeable? Girl and brother are devastated by their mother's death so girl turns to alcohol, drugs, and frequent anonymous only to recreate a mother's influence in a sort of warped way by getting out and hiking. Must have missed something in the details.