Wild Things (1998)
Director: John McNaughton Cast: Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Theresa Russell, Denise Richards, Daphne Rubin-Vega Screenplay: Kem Nunn, Stephen Peters Producers: Steven A. Jones, Rodney M. Liber Runtime: US Distribution: Columbia/Sony Pictures/Mandalay Rated R: Strong sexuality, nudity, language, violence
By Nathaniel R. Atcheson (nate@pyramid.net)
I have a soft spot in my heart for pure, amoral sleaze. I liked Showgirls (there, I said it). I typically enjoy myself when sitting through that Eszterhaz, sex-filled cinematic tabloid-ish trash. Wild Things is the best sleazy film I've ever seen. It's filled with great performances, graphic sex, three-way sex, rape charges, double-crosses, plot twists, genitalia of all genders, graphic violence, death, witty humor, and, best of all, Denise Richards.
Criticizing this film for being disgusting, raucous, and just plain wrong is as fundamentally pointless as criticizing Citizen Kane for being disturbing, or Titanic for being lofty and epic. Wild Things is a film that succeeds in its endeavors, but I don't just admire it for this--I admire it for being so entertaining and such a fun time at the movies. I must admit up-front, however, that I am directly in the center of the age group to which this film has been engineered to appeal. I imagine that this shows.
It's hard to give a plot summary without giving away pieces that shouldn't be known. I thought I had the whole thing worked out from the trailer, but I was wrong; there are a lot of turns here. I'll just say that the film takes place in Blue Bay, a rich little town in Florida. In Blue Bay lives Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon), a teacher who is accused of rape by two of his students, Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards), and Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell). Kelly's mother, Sandra (Theresa Russell), immediately presses charges.
All of this happens fairly early in the film. And right up until this point, I had the whole film predicted. I was wrong, though, and every time I was proven wrong, I was shocked. Wild Things isn't even remotely plausible, but it is so fun to see where the story takes us that the implausibility of every scene is meaningless, and often invited, just for kicks.
I remember first seeing the preview for Wild Things before The Replacement Killers. I'd give the preview four stars. It made me want to see the movie so much that I've been waiting for it anxiously ever since. Over the past few weeks though, I started to realize that there was no way the film could live up to the preview (see Independence Day); thankfully, I was proven wrong. The preview for this film is one that needs to be studied by marketing analysts of every distribution company: not only does it make us want to see the film, but it doesn't give away any of the secrets.
But I'm not here to talk about the preview. I'm here to talk about Denise Richards. Now, I found her mildly interesting in Starship Troopers, but in Wild Things she appeals to such a base instinct that every scene she's in demands attention in a way that almost no other performer can. Of course, this might have something to do with her oceanic eyes...and flawless body...but I thought she did a great job acting, too (stop laughing). No, Richards is truly a find--she is talented, and always convincing in this film. This mixed in with her insane physical appeal makes her a vital asset to any film she may grace in the future.
The other actors are good, too. Dillon is as suave as ever (it's nice to see him bouncing back from Albino Alligator and In & Out). Bacon does a good job acting all determined and stuff as a sex crimes officer. Neve Campbell gives the most layered performance of all of them, though I won't pretend that any of these characters are deep and complex. For a plot like this to work, all of these people have to be insane and basically contrived.
That's okay, because director John McNaughton knows that he's making a self-consciously wicked film. Each scene--even the three-way sex scene--is observed with hilarity by McNaughton, and the result is a sleaze-fest that's too smart to resist. There isn't an inconsistent moment in Wild Things: every bit of it is alluring garbage, so trashy it's funny, and so entertaining it's painful. I loved it.
***1/2 out of **** (8/10, B+)
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Nathaniel R. Atcheson
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