Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Wild is quite an experience. We find ourselves side-by-side with Cheryl Strayed, played with fervor by Reese Witherspoon, as she hikes the Pacific Crest Trail and rediscovers herself after her mother’s death. Directed with great care by Jean-Marc Vallee, Wild is an intimate and personal film, one that dives deep into our central character’s psyche. With stunning landscapes and great use of flashbacks and storytelling devices, Wild is an unforgettable and emotional journey that leaves a huge impression. Based on Strayed’s 2012 memoir, which I greatly enjoyed, Wild puts us in the shoes of Strayed in her self-healing. We feel her pain, see her experiences, and we are up close and personal with her; everything she feels, we feel. With a great use of flashbacks to flesh out Cheryl’s story, Wild strikes a delicate balance of biographical storytelling. The more accessible scenes of Cheryl’s physically exhausting hike are paralleled with flashbacks of her past. We learn of her mother’s death, her nasty divorce, and her reckless sex and drug abuse that leads her to make the decision to hike over 1,000 miles. If you’re not a fan of flashbacks, Wild probably won’t change your mind, but give it a chance because they’re necessary to get the full picture. Cheryl’s a likable character, to be sure, and Wild reminds us this fact several times along the trail. Her journey is funny, emotional, and altogether enjoyable. Any backpackers will relate with her struggles with her “monster” backpack, and her side journeys to towns and stranger’s homes gives us scenery changes that show Cheryl’s true colors. Wild really excels at creating an emotional bond between the viewer and Cheryl herself. This wouldn’t be possible without Reese Witherspoon’s outstanding performance, her best by a mile. Witherspoon connects with Strayed in ways unimaginable, striking a chord with anyone in the audience. Wild is a feminist tale, and it’s great to see a well-developed female protagonist in such a physically and emotionally empowering role. Witherspoon lays out all her cards on the table as Cheryl Strayed. She’s vulnerable, but also she isn’t; She’s open to repair her emotional wounds because she understands herself. Her conversations with fellow backpackers along the PCT show us the true Cheryl. Strayed’s mother, Bobbi, played by Laura Dern, is also a great character. Despite being developed entirely in flashbacks, we know enough about her to know she was more than just a mother to Cheryl. Dern brings her A-game as well – her infectious smile and personality are enough to put a smile on anyone’s face with their well-developed mother-daughter relationship. Cheryl’s reinvention of herself parallels her emotional turmoil of her past, and the film employs unique devices to create that bind. Director Vallee is smart in his framing and storytelling devices that book readers will catch, but also non-readers will be familiar with and recognize. It’s some expert filmmaking that I haven’t seen in a long time. With Dallas Buyers Club and now again with Wild, Vallee has solidified himself as someone to watch. The film is meticulously and beautiful crafted, with beautiful landscape shots that make the viewer want to be there alongside Cheryl, and a soundtrack with hand-selected pieces that mirror her journey, Wild is the complete package.