Movie Review: Wild

Wild (2014) 

Directed by Jean Marc Vallee

Written by Nick Hornby 

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski 

Release Date December 3rd, 2014

Published December 1st, 2014 

I fell in love with Cheryl Strayed in "Wild." As played by Reese Witherspoon as a lost soul with her heart on her sleeve, with those big, beautiful, Reese Witherspoon eyes, it's nearly impossible not to fall for her. Add to that a highly compelling journey through rain, snow and creepy backwoods hunters, and you have the makings of awards-worthy entertainment.

Strayed was a troubled woman, especially in the wake of her mother's death. She began using heroin and sleeping around, and it cost her marriage. To right her ship and get clean, she chose a measure nearly as extreme as her attempts at self-destruction. In 1995 Cheryl set off to hike from Mexico to Canada: the Pacific Crest Trail. 

The film begins with Cheryl, who never has been much of a hiker before, building a comically over-sized pack that other hikers nickname “The Monster.” Watching Witherspoon struggle to stand under the uneasy weight of her pack is quite funny but also rather poignant. Cheryl put nearly her entire body weight on her back, a perfect symbolic representation of the emotional baggage she was attempting to shake on this journey. 

I love stories about compassion, and this is indeed a deeply compassionate story, filled with characters who come to admire and assist Cheryl as she makes her incredibly challenging journey. Pruitt Taylor Vince is up first as a rancher who gives Cheryl a place for a warm meal and a hot shower after she's found herself in the middle of nowhere with the wrong kind of cooking torch. Vince comes off as a creep initially, but soon becomes Cheryl's first new friend on the trip. 

Tracking her progress and sending care packages is Cheryl's former husband Paul (Thomas Sadoski). The relationship between Cheryl and Paul is moving, even though Paul is only a minor character in the story. The letters he sends Cheryl during her journey and the flashbacks to their time together while she was falling apart are powerful and evocative of two people who love each other but can't take the hurt anymore. 

The story of "Wild" is exceptionally well-told thanks to director Jean-Marc Vallee ("Dallas Buyers Club"), writer Nick Hornby, and cinematographer Yves Belanger. Many will argue that it’s easy to make the Pacific Crest Trail look beautiful. But it’s the way in which Belanger captures Witherspoon against that beautiful background that makes it stand out. The film was shot almost entirely in natural light, with a handheld camera but without the usual clumsiness of a handheld. 

Witherspoon is remarkable in "Wild." She gathers the contradictions of Strayed -- her wounded pride, her deep well of grief and her surprising grit -- into one of the most compelling and entertaining performances of the year. 

It's nearly impossible not to fall in love with Cheryl Strayed. I dare you to try. 

Movie Review: An Education

An Education (2010) 

Directed by Lone Scherfig

Written by Nick Hornby

Starring Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgard, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike, Dominic Cooper, Emma Thompson

Release Date February 5th, 2010

Published March 17th, 2010 

Wading through the “A Star is Born” hype surrounding Carey Mulligan in “An Education” is a bit of a chore. Coming to the movie late as I am; research is filled with endless paeans to her brilliance and innumerable comparisons of Carey Mulligan to Audrey Hepburn. If I sound a little bitter it has nothing to do with Ms. Mulligan's actual performance. It's that I find it hard to move about the muck of repeated praise and find my own feelings.

Carey Mulligan stars in “An Education” as Jenny, a 16-year-old with dreams of Oxford University and romantic sojourns to Paris with some lovely boy of her future. Jenny's parents, Jack and Marjorie (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour), don't mind Jenny’s daydreaming as long as it doesn't interfere with good grades and extracurricular activities such as band.

Jenny's first real distraction arrives in the form of a sports car and the charming cad inside. The cad is David and while he feigns interest in keeping Jenny’s cello from getting wet in the rain, his real interest is apparent to everyone. Jenny is naïve but not unaware. She accepts the ride home and is soon accepting much more.

David offers Jenny the life she has daydreamed about; including that romantic Parisian adventure. Meanwhile he charms her parents so thoroughly that he could have his way with Jenny in their home if he chose to. If 35-year-old David's designs on 16-year-old Jenny weren't troubling enough, he has even more sinister secrets waiting to be revealed.

“An Education” was directed by Lone Scherfig, a Danish director making her English language debut. Scherfig shows that a young girl coming of age is a relatively universal story no matter your country of origin. Many a beautiful young girl will find elements of their own lives reflected in Jenny's wide eyed willingness to be seduced. The allure of the older man, with the daddy issues inherent, is yet another seemingly universal story reflected in “An Education.”

The script from Nick Hornby, only his second screenplay, the first not based on his own work, is bittersweet, intelligent and warm in its way. Jenny's life at home is not miserable or drab, just realistically dull, as seen from the perspective of a 16-year-old girl. Hornby does a terrific job of balancing the dull home life with the adventurous life with David, never making either seem overly hellish or overly romantic.

Ms. Mulligan is a radiant presence who never overplays Jenny's youth or faux worldliness. Her talent with Jenny is capturing the moment and one in particular stands out. In a nightclub with David and his friends after a night at the symphony, Jenny smokes her first cigarette. Watch the way she balances Jenny's embarrassment with a desperate attempt to look like she belongs. It's a little detail but so knowing and a great instinctual acting moment. None of the other characters had taken notice, well aware of how young she really is, but Jenny knew and that's what Ms. Mulligan knew.

Carey Mulligan adds these seemingly minor but brilliant touches throughout “An Education.” Her supporting cast is right there with her. Peter Sarsgard has not been this good since his degenerate performance in Zach Braff's, “Garden State.” Alfred Molina deserves an Oscar nomination for his controlled doddering as Jenny's dad and Cara Seymour is the quiet soul of the film, supportive, frightened but stalwart and trusting.

It's a fabulous cast and a very well told story. So what is holding back my appreciation? There is a musty quality to “An Education.” The film is set in the 60's so, of course, the filmmakers want to give a feel for the time, I get that. What I am talking about is content not quality; it's an exceptional re-creation of period. My issue is the values and ideas of the film that feel old and dated. The link that baby boomers have to Paris as the embodiment of sophistication and romantic adventure is severed for my generation. We are more likely to think of New York or even London before Paris. The idea makes the film feel old, even if it is true for the character and her time.

Emma Thompson's cameo as an officious schoolmarm holds one of the film's other pitfalls. As she shoulders her way into the film as a representation of an authority the film simply doesn't need, Ms. Thompson’s cameo sticks out, calls attention to itself.

Finally, in the third act another actress is employed to force the ending back to an acceptable place for the simple audience. Olivia Williams plays a teacher with convenient sympathies and paves the way to a much easier ending than what may have been true for the situation.

These are minor quibbles really. “An Education” is in so many ways a brilliant movie, maybe one of the best of the year. Just, be forewarned if you are approaching “An Education” based on the amazing hype you may come away as slightly disappointed as I am.