Film Review: Something Wild (1986)
Something Wild was directed by Jonathan Demme five years before he unleases The Silence of the Lambs on the world. Starring Jeff Daniels as the closet rebel and Melanie Griffith as the loose cannon with a penchant for counter productive behavior, the film takes the viewer into a world of lying, cheating, and stealing. Throw in an ex-con husband with a short fused temper and we have the opportunity for some harsh circumstances. John Waters, of all people, has a cameo appearance as a shady used car salesman providing a bit of comedic relief.
The film starts out innocently enough with Charles Driggs (Daniels) having lunch at a small café. It all goes downhill from here when he walks out on his tab. Unfortunately for him, Lulu aka Audrey (Griffith) sees him and uncovers him for what he is. She convinces him he is a closet rebel and offers him a ride so he can complete some errands. This, I believe, is her first of many lies. Soon they find themselves driving out of the city and into the countryside of New Jersey. They stop at a liquor store which she robs unbeknownst to the clerk and they end up at a seedy motel for some meaningless encounter. Until the hateful ex-con husband arrives, their interactions mostly consist of her pushing him to do things he would otherwise not be dumb enough to commit.
Enter Ray Sinclair (Ray Liotta) at the high school reunion of all places where Lulu has told people her and Charlie are married with two kids. Needless to say, most people are in disbelief because Lulu is hot and Charlie is not. Ray and Lulu meet and both are a bit freaked out. Ray cannot fathom Lulu with another man and Lulu wants to know when he got out of prison. Oh, other than having a hot temper Ray is a habitual criminal too. Ray manages to dump Charlie and make off with Lulu. Not to be deterred, Charlie gets it in his mind that he and Lulu should be together. Charlie needs a new love in his life since his wife left him took the kids and made off with the family dentist.
Charlie follows them and waits until an opening presents itself to get Lulu away from Ray. Later that evening, Ray and Lulu are having dinner at a restaurant and a police man sits down at a nearby table. Enter Charlie unexpectedly where he confronts Ray and manages to pry Lulu away. Pretty good scene cause Ray fears being rearrested and reluctantly complies. Are they safe now? Heck no, there is one more battle for the hand of Lulu. And that takes place back at Charlie's home outside New York City. Not to get into the gory details, let's just say that the good guy wins and eventually gets the girl.
Something Wild was a fun little film. The characters interacted well and the script was believable. Charlie and Lulu's meeting was happenchance or was it? Their thrill ride together was the result of the charade they were playing. Charlie was the despondent husband and Lulu the lonely wife whose husband was in jail and who she no longer loved. All in all, I enjoyed this movie.
Mike's Rating: 7 out of 10 Battle-Car Galacticas (Convertibles that is)
MPAA Rating: Rated R for violence, language, and mature subject matter
Running Time: 1 hour 53 minutes
Published by Pharmhog
Born circa 1967 in South Florida when going to the movies as a family was a luxury, my earliest memory of seeing a film in a theatre was a double feature showing The Longest Yard and The Groove Tube. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a CommentIt was really late one Saturday night in the late 80s. My family had retired for the evening and I was watching HBO with one eye open when this movie comes on called "Something Wild". The title alone was interesting enough to get my curiosity aroused, causing the other eye to open. By the middle of this film, I was sitting straight up, wide awake and finding myself so very entertained. Something Wild is one of those sleepers that you've never heard of until you hear about it from a friend or you trip upon it as I did. As far as entertainment goes, this film has it all and ever since that late night viewing, it has been on my list for the most odd, fun, and entertaining films of all times. It was also my first introduction to Jeff Daniels and I have been a huge fan of his ever since. The casting was perfect for all roles and the film continued to keep me wondering what the next element of surprise would be around the next corner. I even watched the credits roll and did a little dance as
I really enjoyed this movie, too. Griffith is at the top of her form in this movie, and her hair style reminds me of another Lulu, Louise Brooks who played a character by that name in the silent film Pandora's Box. This hairstyle also ties her with another movie character, Sally Bowles in the film version of Cabaret. All three characters share an inner fragility covered up by tpms of attitude. All three are adept at ruining the life of every Man of the Moment they encounter. When, in Something Wild, Lulu sheds her severe black hair for short and spikey blonde, the transformation is absolutely astounding Lulu was dangerous and abrasive, Audrey, by contrast, inhabits a small-town world of white pinafores and high-school reunions where she is, though still a bit "wild", no longer unsympathetic. She's as much victim as victimizer, and succeeds not only in capturing the hearts of Charlie and Ray, but the movie audience as well.