02

Into the Wild (2007)

I knew it was going to be bad, I knew it! But I had to see it anyways.

Note: my opinion of this movie may have been skewed by the fact that I was in a bit of a sour mood when I went to go see it. I went to the theater with the intention of seeing a sneak preview screening of Wes Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited." I had been sent a free pass by The Stranger because I'm unemployed so I have time to do things like enter newspaper contests to win free movie tickets. I got to the theater about 15 minutes before the screening started, because I didn't imagine that they would give out more passes than there were seats in the theater, which is exactly what happened. There was a big line outside of the theater when I got there and I didn't get in before all the seats were full. Bummer! I decided to see "Into the Wild" instead, which I had been meaning to see anyways. But I had to wait an hour for the next show, so I went to go get sushi in the meantime. I've been vegetarian for the last 11 years, but I told myself that I was going to try to eat fish while I was living in Seattle since the fish is supposed to be so orgasmically fantastic here. The theater I was at was right by a sushi place that had been recommended to me, so I figured I might as well try fish right then. I didn't like it, it tastes fine but I just don't like eating animals, and for some idiotic reason I gagged down four pieces of sushi. I think just did it because I didn't want to feel like a big pansy who can't eat fish. Wow, where is this story going? Oh yeah, so I was in kind of a bad mood when I saw "Into the Wild" because it wasn't the movie I was planning on seeing and my tummy was feeling weird and full of animal flesh. I also ate Milk Duds, which didn't help. On with the review!

I wanted to see this movie because I really enjoyed John Krakauer's book, and also because I was intrigued by the story behind the making of this film which was profiled in Outside magazine, and also because this movie is about a boy from Northern VA who goes on a big road trip and I am a girl from Northern VA who just went on a big road trip (although I didn't die, contrary to popular belief). I had read some bad reviews of this movie from sources that I trusted before I went to go see it, but I blindly forged ahead into the theater despite my better judgement.

An open note to Sean Penn: I know you had to work closely with the kid's family on this to paint an accurate portrait, but could you stop being so goddam sappy?!? And could the editing have been any more corny? The text overlays of the kid's journal entries were just too much to handle. And if Emile Hirsch wasn't so dreamy-looking*, I would've been really annoyed by all the close-up's of him looking all wistful and weepy off into surrounding landscape.

A side note: I worked on America's Next Top Model during Season 3, which they filmed at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC. I was constantly running around the halls of the Waldorf with a walkie talkie strapped to my hip, trying to find steamed broccoli for Janice Dickinson or something equally ridiculous. It was a frazzled time in my life. Once when I was running down the hall on the 36th floor, I saw Sean Penn in the elevator as the doors closed. He was wearing a bathrobe, and he looked perturbed. Perhaps some Hollywood hot shot had just told him that text overlays are corny, and nobody likes them.

*Emile Hirsch is very dreamy-looking indeed, but I also think he has the actor's affliction of being pint-sized. When he's seated next to Vince Vaughn during one scene in this movie, Vince Vaughn looks like a freaking giant sitting next to a hobbit.