Wild Movie Review

Reese Witherspoon stars in Wild

Happy Trails

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: With the dissolution of her marriage and the death of her mother, 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 hikes more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone. Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.

Throw another shrimp Oscar on the barbie for Witherspoon: Her performance in Wild is one for the ages, and worth the price of admission alone. She showcases every emotion imaginable across Strayed's 94-day, 1,100-mile trek along the PCT, stealing this critic's heart along the way. The movie stumbles in the middle (cancer flashbacks) and suffers from several cringeworthy moments (risk of rape) but Witherspoon's so good, it hardly matters. Female heroines are a rarity in Hollywood; so it's particularly satisfying to find one that's brave, honest and mistake-prone. "I'm a girl that says yes, instead of no." Amen, sister.

Grade: B