Alecc B. on "Into The Wild"

Everyone goes through a point in their life when they say to themselves, "I need a change." The problem with society is that most people never make that change.They continue living the same old boring life in hopes that one day a change will happen all on it's own.

Sean Penn has chosen to adapt the book Into The Wild and make it his fourth stab at directing. Wild tells the true story of a young man who wanted to make a change and did exactly that. Penn has always had a problem with pacing, and Wild has it's fair share of slow scenes, but it doesn't completely damage a film that is pretty powerful.

PLOT

Christopher McCandless has always been the reckless type. Even though his family is pretty wealthy, he never liked to just be given things. He wanted to earn them. This never sat well with his parents, but Chris never really cared, he just wanted to live his life in his own way. So in 1990, Chris gave away his tuition check to Harvard, destroyed everything that could be used to identify him, and set out to cross the country to reach his destination…Alaska. Adapting the name Alexander Supertramp, this young man encounters many different people and situations, all while hoofing it through the United States.

ACTING

Emile Hirsch is very impressive as Chris/Alex. He conveys being a free-spirit perfectly and has no problem making the audience experience the character's feelings and emotions. As Chris' parents, William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden are probably the least interesting characters in the entire film. I've always thought Hurt was overrated and I stick by that opinion. Harden has one emotional scene where she wakes up thinking that Chris is calling out to her after he had been gone for quite some time. It's a heart-breaking thought for a parent to think their child is in trouble somewhere they can't find, and Harden does a fine job in that scene. As Chris' sister Carine, Jena Malone reminded me of my sister. Carine is the kind of sister that always supports her brother and looks up to him, and Malone brought a voice to hert hat rings true.

There are a few characters that Chris meets during his travels. From this point on, I'll call Chris...Alex. He first meets Wayne, brought to life by Vince Vaughn, who plays his usual laid-back self. Next, Alex befriends a couple of rubber-tramps played by Brian Dierker and Catherine Keener. The three of them create an instant bond that feels like they've known each other forever. Alex then meets Tracy, a young girl played by Kristen Stewart. There's a touch of romance there. Not a lot, but just enough to show there is a connection between the two of them. Hal Holbrook plays Ron Franz, an oldman that looks after Alex for a period of time. The scenes between Holbrook and Hirsch are very touching and might require you to bring some kleenex. The best thing about all of these interactions is the way the actors make you believe that Alex represents something that is missing in all of their lives. Some great acting at work.

WRITING & DIRECTING

Sean Penn adapted the work of John Krakauer into thescreenplay. Some of the dialogue between Hurt and Harden can come off as a little fake and boring at times. The story itself is fascinating. The way pieces of Alex's travels would come together is very interesting.

One thing Penn seriously needs to work on is his pacing. At two and a half hours, some scenes could have been trimmed. On a plus side, this is Penn's most visually stunning film to date. The cinematography of all the places Alex made stops in is what grabbed me the most. There are some truly amazing shots of the country and mountains, etc.

In the end, Into The Wild basically just points out to us that we have choices and we can change our lives if we wanted to, just like Chris/Alex did. I will also note that the final image in the film is very haunting and has kind of stuck with me since I saw it this past Wednesday night. Just warning you!

Overall Review: *** stars

Best Lines:

Hirsch: Rather than love, faith, or fairness...give me truth.

Hirsch: I am...we are...he was.