WILD THINGS
RATING: 7 / 10 --> Good film
Review Date:
April 8, 1998
Director:
John McNaughton
Writer:
Stephen Peters
Producers:
Steven A. Jones, Rodney M. Liber, Kevin Bacon (executive)
Actors:
Matt Dillon as Sam Lombardo
Neve Campbell as Suzie Toller
Kevin Bacon as Ray Duquette
Denise Richards as Kelly Van Ryan
Bill Murray as Ken Bowden
Genre:
Thriller
Year of Release:
1998
From the man who presented
us with HENRY: THE PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (6.5/10) comes a
wild tale set within the elite and white trash of Florida's South
Coast.
PLOT:
Guidance Counselor (Dillon) is accused of raping one of his
students. She happens to be the daughter of one of the wealthiest
women in Florida. The counselor is brought to court on the
charges, as another white trash girl (Campbell), also joins the
rape finger-pointing club. As the story unfolds, we find that
many things aren't exactly as they seem (that's as much as I
could say without ruining anything).
CRITIQUE:
Good little flick that slows down at certain points, and runs a
tad long, but generates enough twists and turns to keep most
people interested throughout. Mind you, I could see many people
not liking it because it takes "one too many" twists
and turns, but hey, I happen to like that kind of thing. And
besides, the twists and turns in this movie managed to remain
within the realm of believability (or scathingly close to), and
even "explained" many of its turns with a showcase of
missed scenes during the credit crawl at the end of the film (DO
NOT leave the theatre before you see the credits...it really does
clear up some stuff !!).
Other than that, the acting was good, with Campbell transforming her "good girl stereotypical" role into a pot-smoking, goth-looking white trash chick out for a good time. Denise Richards (from STARSHIP TROOPERS (7/10) fame) solidifies herself as Hollywood's jelly-donut pinup girl of the moment, and proves that all breast implants needn't lead to lawsuits. Bacon is solid, and so is Dillon (while continuing to prove his inability to age to the whole wide wondering world !!). Sprinkle the story with a bunch o' shots of alligators peeking through the swamp waters, Bacon showing the world the size of his ding-dong (do we really need to see this??), a couple of lesbian kissing scenes, and a menage-a-trois, and you've got yourself a decent time at the movie theatre.
On the down side, the
soundtrack was not as prominent (or slick) as I thought it would
be, and Theresa Russell (real name: Theresa Paup) seems to have
lost her way in every which way possible....ooooh, I almost
forgot Bill Murray's exquisite role as the down-trodden lawyer
who agrees to defend Dillon in court. Murray actually added that
extra little spice of humour that allowed this film to affirm its
position as a quirky little noirish tale of sex, greed and
mystery.
Little Known Facts:
Neve Campbell specified a non-nudity clause in her contract
(she's also born in Guelph, Ontario...go hoser!)
Director John McNaughton says he deleted a scene that would have
shown Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon showering together, as it was
gratuitous.
Kevin Bacon plays in a band with his brother, called The Bacon
Brothers, is married to actress Kyra Sedgwick, and has a game
based on him called "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon".
© 1998 Berge Garabedian
Movie Reviews by Berge Garabedian