The Wild Life

Fast Times it ain't. But check this movie out, it has a heart. Pour yourself a drink and enjoy. It's loaded with a slew of just-beginning stars. Sherilyn Fenn has her first on-screen credited cameo. Chris Penn, Lea Thompson, Eric Stotz, Jenny Wright, Rick Moranis, etc.--they all look so young. Oh and if you look closely the cop's wife is Nancy Wilson from the rock band Heart.

Sometimes I don't want to watch a classic film. No thought provoking drama, or a witty snappy comedy. Sometimes I just want to watch a silly little meaningless film on a rainy or snowy day. This is the film to watch.

It has some good talent in it who were just getting started. That is always interesting to see. The story is this, kid(Eric Stolz) leaves high school and wants to move out on his own, trouble ensues. Freaky friends(Chris Penn, Rick Moranis), unattainable girl(Lea Thompson) and a over nagging family is all featured here. There is also a nude scene in a bar, so beware. There is a minor storyline about the little brother(Ilan Mitchell-Smith) who befriends a Vietnam vet who he starts looking up to, and later learns a little too much about his past.

So if you want to give your mind a rest, your sick with the flu, snowed in or just feeling kind of silly, watch this movie and enjoy. I do own this movie and have enjoyed seeing it about 8 times now.

Straight up, I love this film. I love everything about it. It has a great soundtrack, it has a lot of recognizable faces and it is funny as hell. There are so many plots in this film and every one of them is funny in one way or another.

Where as Spicolli lit up the screen two years back, Drake is almost as memorable of a character. All he wants to do is have fun. He moves out of the house without his parent's consent, he skips work whenever he feels like it, he is obsessed with sex, he loves his drugs and booze and he tries to be a good friend. It is his lacksidaisical attitude that makes him such a joy to watch. And he comes out with some great lines. And there are so many tiny observations that you don't see coming but they make you laugh at the sheer velocity when it hits you. One particular moment is when Tommy and Bill are talking about Bill's ex girlfriend dating someone else now. At the end of the conversation, Tommy takes his huge beer bottle and just throws it over his shoulder, casually. He then says good night and the scene ends. It is a perfect scene. Tommy's world is his own. He really lives to party and have fun. When the conversation is over, his time is over and he doesn't care who he offends in the process. He has an innocence about him. "It's casual" is his favourite saying.

Another such classic scene is Reggie handing Bill a donut. He says something to him that me and my friends will never forget because we rewound the film ten times and watched that part over and over again and hurt ourselves laughing. It has to be seen to be appreciated.

Wild Life is a throw back to when teen comedies were funny, raunchy, had a good ear, entertained us and just wanted us to get lost in their world for 90 minutes. Wild Life does all those things perfectly. If this is a film that you haven't seen, give it a chance. It is a classic.

Also check out the army store guy that Jim has problems with. He is a very familiar face now and it is his first role on the big screen.

There is nothing not to love about this film...it still holds up as a very funny film with some great characters attached.

For The Wild Life, the obvious connection and comparison will forever be Fast Times at Ridgemont High...which is fair and fitting. Like many of us, Cameron Crowe didn't just write down his reflections of his high school days...he painted a narrative as only he can. Visual, thematically accurate and draped with the soundtracks of our youth. As great as Fast Times is, The Wild Life is "equal to" on many levels and equally as enjoyable.

Fast Times takes place during a school year chronicling several different characters as they go through the trials and tribulations of going through high school...where The Wild Life chronicles the lives of some high school kids during a summer break that is coming to a close.

One of the things that never gets mentioned is how so much of the film takes place during the night...which for me was an underscore to the high school years for a lot of us who went to high school in the late 70's and early 80's. Outdoor parties, cruising around with friends, always looking for something to do and generally staying out all night...only to do it all over again, night after night....perhaps Art Linson had the same snapshot in his head when making this film...the story being told mostly in the evening has never been lost on me.

From a character perspective, Christopher Penn, Eric Stoltz, Jenny Wright, Lea Thompson, Ilan Mitchell-Smith were perfectly cast in their respective roles....with Hart Bochner, Rick Moranis, Ben Stein, Sherilyn Fenn, Michael Bowen, Angel Salazar, Robert Ridgely and Randy Quaid among others offering terrific supporting roles that enhances the film. The musical score penned by Eddie Van Halen is also a great accent to the film....just terrific pacing.

The Wild Life is a very enjoyable film that has several memorable lines, memorable scenes with a goof or two mixed in....but the film works to this day, still holds up.

Hats off to Art Linson for making a good, funny and memorable film...released in 1984...it still resonates with those of us who remember those days fondly.

Enjoy!

I love this movie to me this movie is just as good as Fast Times if not better. This movie was shown to me by my father and it has tons of great actors like Chris Penn, Eric Stoltz (the dude that was supposed to be Mart McFly's), and Leanne Thompson (Mart McFly's mom). Also the damn soundtrack was by Eddie Van Halen. Get out of here if you think this movie is mediocre because you obviously don't understand greatness.