Book-to-film adaptations are always a risk. My former employer, also a film expert, once told me "good books don't make good movies. Mediocre books make good movies." We didn't see eye to eye on that blanket statement (or a lot of things), but still I wondered about "Wild," Jean-Marc Vallée's adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's wildly popular memoir. Aside from a bit too much voiceover, "Wild" turns a compelling read into a lovely film, thanks in large part to its breathtaking visuals of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon) decides to hike the trail spanning California and Oregon desert and mountains over a summer in the mid-'90s. Despite an outdoorsy nature, she lacks the experience and training often deemed necessary for this jaunt, but Cheryl figures she's got nothing to lose. The death of her beloved mother (Laura Dern) spurned a self-destructive pattern that resulted in infidelity, divorce, family estrangement and heroin use. Cheryl sets out to discover what she's really made of, with almost no money, a heavy physical and emotional load, and completely on her own.
Aside from a couple of shaky camera angles, Vallee manages cinematography and pacing well, making the gorgeous and sometimes brutal scenery a backdrop for Cheryl's suffering and redemption. Intermittent flashbacks of Cheryl's childhood and life before the hike appear when needed, without feeling superfluous. It's hard to judge Witherspoon's performance, so naturally she disappears into the role. And while Cheryl is far from perfect, the film never felt like Watch Reese Witherspoon Swear and Go Topless While Not Wearing Makeup.
Having read and loved the source material, I'd recommend it to viewers as a supplement to the movie. That said, the onscreen "Wild" stands on its own. In a way, the many voiceovers are a (much more cushy) metaphor for the trail itself: Once you get used to them, you lose yourself in a very personal, yet universal, voyage.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvDT42x_NBk&w=514&h=315]