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Movie Review - Into the Wild (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Sean Penn |
| Starring: |
Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Hal Holbrook, Brian Dierker, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, and Jena Malone |
| Rated: |
R (for language and some nudity) |
| Length: |
140 minutes |
| Genre: |
Biography/Drama |
| Tagline: |
Your large adventure on Alaska. |
| Studio: |
Paramount Vantage |
| Website: |
Into the Wild |
| Release: |
September 21, 2007 |
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PLOT
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Freshly graduated from college with a promising future, 22 year-old Christopher McCandless (Hirsch) abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 in savings to charity,
and makes his way to Alaska to live in the wilderness, encountering a series of eccentric characters along the way. Is McCandless a heroic adventurer or a naïve idealist? A rebellious
1990s Thoreau or another lost American son? A fearless risk-taker or a tragic figure wrestling with the balance between man and nature? An entry into the wild ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Christopher McCandless had it all - a college education, a sharp mind, and parents with affluently deep pockets that were more than willing to help put him through law
school. But that wasn't Chris' desire. Careers, he said, are a 20th Century invention, and he didn't want one. He wasn't interested in things or money either. He
felt such materialism made people cautious, and his eyes were set on a carefree life, void of what he saw as the trappings of the modern world.
So he gave away his savings, took what little provisions he felt he needed, and prepared to wax philosophic and drop Henry David Thoreau quotes whenever a situation
presented itself. He proceeded to hitch-hike through the wheat fields of South Dakota, kayaked the restricted waters of the Colorado River, and mingled with
the non-conformists of Slab City, California. He fancied himself an adventurer whose life was most exciting when he was penniless, and his destination was
the Alaskan wilds.
Following Chris from his symbolic "birth" to his "getting of wisdom," Into the Wild immerses the viewer in his journey, providing a vicarious retracing of
his steps. Thanks to an effective combination of beautiful cinematography and creative camera work, this is an opportunity to get in the water, stand on the
mountaintops, and enjoy a panoramic view of locations you likely haven't experienced before.
Along for the journey are a series of characters who shaped Chris' perilous trek, and in the case of Leonard Knight - the real-life artist who created Salvation
Mountain at Slab City - provided a little depth to this country's personality. While it's Hal Holbrook that delivers the film's most touching performance, one that is
certainly worthy of recognition come award time, it's Knight's cameo that gives the film its most sincere moment. He didn't have to act at all. The only thing
that was required was for him to be himself and speak his message, and that left more of an impression than most acting performances could ever hope to
accomplish.
Into the Wild is a long draw off the proverbial movie teat, and it isn't for everybody. The prose is at times melodramatic, and the poetry
recitation borders on pretentious, but this is an engrossing film that, if you're interested in seeing, deserves to be seen on the big screen
with minimal distractions. It's the type of film you simply have to watch with the right mindset. Prepare to sit back and let the film pull you in.
So what exactly was McCandless? A heroic supertramp or an ill-prepared sojourner with a foolish flight of fancy? Well, that's up to the viewer to decide. I
don't agree with many of the decisions he made, but I don't begrudge that they were his decisions to make. The film simply chronicles his process and its
eventual consequences. He's not a role model, kids, so don't try this at home. But role model or not, his was a journey that makes for a fascinating story,
and the end result really hammers home the point that while being footloose and independent are valiant endeavors, true happiness is only real when it's
shared.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Based on Jon Krakauer's acclaimed bestseller, Into The Wild.
- Holy cow, Creedence Clearwater Revival's Porterville is featured in the movie! That's one song I never expected to show up on a soundtrack.
- McCandless spent 113 days in the wilds of Alaska with only bare supplies.
- Could he have lasted longer if he had clothed supplies? Thank you, thank you.
- Krakauer explains, "Chris was not an ordinary kid. He was self-absorbed. He was stubborn. He was impetuous. But he was also pure of heart. And the extremely wonderful thing
about him is that he would not compromise. He had these extremely high ideals, this sense of moral rectitude. He believed that the purpose of life was not to take the easy path.
Some of his critics thought he was ill-prepared, reckless, foolish - they asked why he didn't he have an ax and a radio when he went into Alaska? But his idea was: that's not an
adventure. In this day and age, when there are no more blank spots on the map, Chris left the maps behind."
- When Sean Penn saw Krakauer's hardback in a Brentwood bookshop, he had an immediate, visceral reaction. He recalls being drawn like a magnet to the cover photo of an abandoned
bus in the snow and heading home to crack the spine, then says: "I read it from cover to cover twice before I went to sleep. Then I got up the following day, whatever time it was,
and started right away trying to see if I could get the rights. I thought the story was instantly indelible and deeply cinematic in its characters and its landscape in every way.
It hit the same nerve with me that I think it hit with most people who read it."
- Eventually, Penn would get the rights but it would take nearly a decade. In the beginning, Penn was among a bevy of suitors who lined up to approach the McCandless family.
Still heartbroken and reeling from the loss of their only son, the McCandlesses spoke with a number of filmmakers in those early days, including Penn, but came to no decision.
"The family simply wasn't ready yet to let this film be made, but Sean kept in touch with them and he was very passionate about it," recalls producer Bill Pohlad.
- At one point, just when it looked like it was going to happen, Billie McCandless (Chris' mother) even reported to Penn that she had a dream that Chris told her not to make the
movie.
- Emile Hirsch lost 40 pounds to play his role, coming in at less than 115 pounds for the film's final scenes.
- Hirsch wore Chris' clothes and used his backpack.
- The movie was filmed entirely on location.
- For Penn, there was simply no other way to tell this story than to follow in Chris' footsteps, to echo his rite of passage with their own, in a certain sense. Ultimately,
cast and crew would be called upon to ford rapids, cross icy rivers, hike through waist-deep snow and, at moments, to ponder many of the bigger questions about the human
relationship with the wild in their own moments of fear and awe.
- Brian Dierker, a white water expert and long-time Grand Canyon specialist who serves as the film's Marine Coordinator, was cast quite suddenly as the "rubber tramp" Rainey.
Dierker has worked behind the camera on water scenes for years, but he had no experience in front of it playing anyone other than himself, and he admits the idea wasn't
necessarily an easy sell.
- Kristen Stewart won her role in an audition during which she played Blackbird on the guitar for Penn.
- Emile Hirsch was in Alpha Dog with Bruce Willis who was in Grindhouse with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with
Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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There's just a little too much going on for this to meet mama's approval in its unedited format. Profanity isn't overly extreme, but there are a few "f" bombs. We also see
brief female and male frontal nudity - once in a scene with Hirsch floating down the river naked and in another scene involving a nude beach. There's also an extended topless
scene involving a foreign girl hanging out on the river bank.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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It's a fairly adequate judge of what to expect.
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THE GIST
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If the subject matter interests you and the runtime doesn't turn you away then you'll find Into the Wild to be an engrossing examination of one man's
perilous journey away from his modern comforts and into the wilds of the unknown.
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