Wild (2014)

Amy and I liked a lot this movie adapted from Cheryl Strayed's memoir about hiking 1100 miles alone in the Western U.S. mountains in 1995. Reese Witherspoon's angry, determined portrayal of Strayed has earned her, among others, a Screen Actors Guild nomination, with more to come. Witherspoon (last blogged in Mud) optioned Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail just before its 2012 publication and is also a producer here, making me wonder why the imdb trivia says she "beat out" other actresses for the leading role. With many flashbacks and interactions with other hikers along the way, this is far from a one-woman show, and features Laura Dern (besides her Oscar-nominated performance in Rambling Rose (1992), I also liked her in Mask (1985), Blue Velvet (1986), Wild at Heart (1990), Jurassic Park (1993), Citizen Ruth (1993), Dr. T and the Women (2000), Novocaine (2001), We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004), Happy Endings (2005), Year of the Dog (2007), Recount (2008), small parts in Everything Must Go and The Master, and her star turn as the whack job in the HBO series Enlightened) as Strayed's beloved mother, Thomas Sadoski (known to me just as Don Keefer on The Newsroom), and many more.

Director Jean-Marc Vallée has already brought Oscars to two actors for Dallas Buyers Club, so let's see what happens here in February. Nick Hornby, who adapted a memoir into the screenplay for An Education, does the same honors here for Strayed's best-selling book. Strayed, who chose her last name  (one syllable) and legally changed it at age 27 right before the journey, has a cameo, dropping off Witherspoon in the beginning (we missed it), and Strayed's own daughter plays Strayed as a child throughout the movie.

I couldn't help but think of Tracks, another young woman's odyssey released earlier this year. There, as here, photos during the credits prove that the wardrobe department took care to match outfits with the real hikers. In this one, you won't miss the strong endorsement of equipment vendor REI. The book (and the gear) can be purchased on their website.

The glorious cinematography is by Yves Bélanger (Dallas Buyers Club). No composer is listed and the extensive list of songs can be found here.

Jack had another commitment so couldn't join us the other night, but I'm sure he will like it just as much as we did. Rotten Tomatoes' critics are averaging 93% to audiences' 81, and last weekend, before the holiday, it was sixth at the box office. Be sure to see it on a big screen if you possibly can.