Wild

Survival films have always showcased a great source of material as far as Hollywood goes, and therefore reap many profits from audiences who love to see the underdog overcoming extreme obstacles. Look at "127 Hours" with James Franco-- portraying a real character of a hiker striving to survive in the elements. Now we have another hiker in dire straights in the form of "Wild".

With the dissolution of her marriage with Paul (Thomas Sadoski) and the death of her mother, Bobbi (Laura Dern) to cancer, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) has lost all hope. After years of reckless, destructive behavior, she makes a rash decision. With absolutely no experience, driven only by sheer determination, Cheryl backpacks 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone. This story captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her. One of the elements which helps her keep her sanity are some of the people she encounters along the way, such as Frank (W. Earl Brown), Greg (Kevin Rankin), Ed (Cliff De Young) and Jonathan (Michiel Huisman).

Others to round out the cast are Keene McRae as Leif, Cheryl's younger brother, Gaby Hoffman as Aimee, friend of Cheryl's, Brian Van Holt as Ranger, and Mo McRae as Jimmy Carter (no relation).

After seeing "Dallas Buyers Club" with exquisite direction by Jean-Marc Vallee ("Los Locos" '97, "Loser Love" '99, "C.R.A.Z.Y." '05, "The Young Victoria" '09, "Café de Flore" '11, "Dallas Buyers Club" '13), I simply had to see this film, and after viewing it, my conclusion is that the direction was effortless--Witherspoon held her own easily and obviously worked closely with Vallee when it came to the emotion of this character as well as staging and pacing. It was written by Nick Hornby based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir, "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail". I couldn't help but think of the film "127 Hours" with James Franco after seeing this-- I guess because it was about two hikers in potentially perilous situations. But I loved "127 Hours" so getting into this story wasn't a stretch. This character Witherspoon played was so full of issues and the fact that she even was able to make this trail (issues and all), was amazing in and of itself. There were a couple of choppy areas, but all in all, a well scripted screenplay. Witherspoon will undoubtedly garner an Oscar nod for her performance as will Vallee's direction.

As stated above, if you liked "127 Hours", you will definitely love this. It, like 'Hours', is a great character study of determination, strength, survival and ultimately redemption.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                Rated: R                                   115mins.