Posts
A guidance counselor has inappropriate relations with his students – or does he? That question is at the heart of 1998’s Wild Things, directed by John McNaughton.
This sleazy thriller stars a fine cast which includes Matt Dillon (Crash) as Mr. Lombardo, the counselor; Neve Campbell (Scream) and Denise Richards (the shameful Starship Troopers) as his two accusers; Kevin Bacon (Sleepers) as the investigating officer and Theresa Russell (Black Widow) as the mother of one of the accusers who gives impetus to the whole sordid affair. It also features the fine comic actor Bill Murray (before he became the darling of Hollywood), playing a role that he inhabits well – a trashy defense lawyer.
Read more...
The plot, however, is too complicated to discuss here. Not only would we ruin the movie for you (the plot twists begin relatively soon in the film), but we also could not do it justice. Its complexity is actually quite impressive. In fact, the credits contain scenes that help to clear up any confusion that might still plague you at that point.
One might not think Wild Things would have much of a plot since it is basically billed as a T&A movie, targeted at those young men not old enough to visit the “cowboy room” at the local video store. The trailers featured women in bikinis splashing around in the pool, a catfight, and plenty of gunplay.
The film has more than just advertising working against it. The dialogue, for example, is at times just plain horrible. Theresa Russell exclaiming in haughty rage, “that SOB must be insane if he thinks he can do this to me,” is straight out of The B-Movie Guide on How to Write for Film.
Fortunately, the sum is greater than the parts. As Roger Ebert said, it is “bad taste elevated to the level of demented sleaze.” And he meant it as a compliment.
Wild Things does rise above its handicaps, and a truly fine flick is the result. The serpentine plot may confuse some viewers, and it is not until the ends that one truly realizes who was playing whom and what is really motivating the slimy characters. It sports elements of film-noir set against the backdrop of southern Florida swamps and then throws in a healthy dose of, well, you know, to attract an audience.
This film was fairly successful at the box office, though it is sad to realize it probably would not have done so if the more titillating scenes had been left out. The sleaze lured people in, and then the filmmakers tricked them by sneaking in a good movie. In this way it is similar to Basic Instinct – a good film that has been tarnished by being labeled and promoted as merely one step above a skin flick.
Wild Things is definitely worth seeing. If you like film noir, a plot with some real meat to chew on, or just good old-fashioned T&A, head on down to the video store and get a copy before some junior high kid snags the last copy.
