On Thursday night I was finally able to sit down and watch an a movie I’ve been wanting to see for months. “Into the Wild” (directed/written by Sean Penn and starring Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Hal Holbrook, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, hello? need I say more?) was everything I hoped it would be (BTW: The movie was nominated for a couple of Oscars). I started it at about 11pm and after a few interruptions by my 1 year old, I was able to finish it at around 2am. Needless to say I was beat the next day, but it was well worth it.
The movie is inspired by a true story about young man that’s disillusioned with society and his parent’s deceptive relationship. So after college, he cashes out his savings account, donates all the money to charity and takes off on an epic journey to discover himself without the pressures of greed, family, or career riding on his shoulders. His goal is to get to the Alaskan wilderness where he’ll discover his true self and attain the happiness he’s always wanted, only what he discovers is not what he expected.
The movie is slow at times, but its pace matches the main characters desire to get away from it all. The soundtrack by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder is incredible. I love the outdoors, especially hiking and backpacking, and everyone wrestles with the desire to leave it all behind. This movie packaged it all up for me.
There are some beautiful moments where Alexander (Emile Hirsch) and Ron (Hal Holbrook), an elderly widower, discuss God and forgiveness. There are some incredibly powerful moments in this flick. Don’t expect another upbeat episode of “Man vs. Wild,” it’s a pretty heavy film, but it’s worth the $5 rental. Check it out…
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April 14, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Marc Bellemare
Wendy and I recently watched this as well. I too love the outdoors, camping and hiking and it brought many good memories of when I use to do that back in Mass (use to go to Vermont and Maine a LOT to do that – beautiful country especially in the fall). Heavy story and yes wouldn’t you love to just pack it in some days and live “stress free” out in God’s world?
GREAT movie and GREAT story, I would recommend it to everyone.
Marc
April 14, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Mike
I think Emile Hirsch has the leading role in the new Speed Racer movie – it promises to be entertaining, but the character is not quite as introspective. However, consider this: the Mach 5 can change it’s tires in mid-airwhile jumping over other cars…and can travel underwater