Qualcosa di travolgente

It's easy to take actors like Ray Liotta and Jeff Daniels for granted with the benefit of hindsight. Both of them have had ups and (horrible) downs, crossing genres seamlessly or inexplicably. It can also be argued that neither one of them has been more gratifying, more liberated, more, well, wild than in their breakthrough roles in Johnathan Demme's road movie. With the help of Melanie Griffith's femme fatale they make a very interesting movie about finding your wild side, but also finding out about the nasty underbelly lurking beneath society's pickett fences.

After being accused of ripping off a diner, a yuppie accountant named Charles sets off on a wild road trip with the free-spirited Lulu. Along the way she manages to bring out something special in Charlie, accusing him of being a closet rebel. They decide to get themselves in various troublesome situations, like running out on roof-splittingly expensive restaurants. They soon run into trouble, however, when a former love of Lulu's (or Audrey's), Ray, turns up at her high school reunion, after what appears to be done time in a jail.

Demme's film switches from screwball situation comedy to black farce and then to an uncomfortable menace. At times we're not really sure what this woman wants with Charles, whether she is after money, scheming, or indeed really has fallen for our floppy-haired protagonist. Daniels injects his hapless hero with all the dopey charm and middle-class wit one could ever hope to see in an 80s suit-wearing yuppie. He wants to eschew his suburban divorce style for a rebellious wild-at-heart rebel, and insists upon doing it with the impulsive, slightly reckless, but utterly alluring Lulu. The problem is, when he discovers his wild side, he has to deal with the ensuing problems: He's just been made Vice-President at his firm - What would his work mates think? How does he deal with the psychotic ex-con boyfriend? Does he really know what this woman wants? He appears, for most of the movie, to be a sap, who could fall for more than he could handle. But coincidentally, he's a pretty good liar, so maybe he's no better than the rest of them.

But even if the underlying philosophy doesn't hit you, then the comedic set-pieces definitely should. One particular scene involving handcuffs, suspenders, a dinky motel and a a phone call to his work office particularly sticks in the mind. It's not often you get movies like this. Movies that share a good balance between intelligence and farce. How can you go wrong?

Something Wild is the type of film many viewers today long for, a mid-budget comedy with reasonable stakes and a pleasing, laidback demeanor. There's nothing smug or selfish about the film; it's genuinely trying to please, and does so effortlessly, with broad appeal. It's got a great cast, including young up-and-comers Jeff Daniels, Ray Liotta, and Melanie Griffith, a greater director in Johnathon Demme, who would find his ultimate success in directing Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia, and a great script, which bends, twists, and contorts to give a new perspective every half hour or so. What an unexpected, merry pleasure.

The film follows Charles Driggs, played by Daniels, an uptight yuppie who meets Audrey Hankel, played by Griffith. Audrey is a wild child, and soon convinces stiff Charles to ditch work and follow her to the country to meet her mother and attend her class reunion. The arrival of Ray Sinclair, played by Liotta, complicates matters further. It's a comfortable, nestled film, mostly taking place over the course of only a day.

The film is smartly written and directed, but it lives and dies with its three principle leads, who each turn in great work. All three build their characters from the ground up, exaggerating their central traits just enough to deliver the essential character information throughout. The script has little time for backstory or introductions, relying on the mannerisms and body cues of the cast to fill the audience in. It's a bold approach, but it works. The film also steadily shifts in tone and tension, demanding subtle tweaks to each performance as the film plays. Again, the cast delivers flawlessly.

Speaking of the script, it's a dandy. The premise is thin on its surface (fun-loving girl meets yuppie, yuppie loosens up) and the potential for excess cliché or exposition is high. Something Wild sidesteps these pratfalls with ease, setting its focus tightly on its characters and exposing their psyches early and often. One of the most peculiar but exciting elements is the shift in tone throughout. It's steady and assured, motivated and appropriately weighted.

Motivations change organically too; characters grow plausibly, in the course of only a day, because the film works holistically. Character growth feeds into theme, theme feeds into style, style feeds into substance. Something Wild is intrinsically opposed to the banality of corporate life, 80s corporate life specifically, and this resistance to banality motivates the action and characters. It's understood without explicit statement - everyone needs something wild in their life eventually. Viewers will be hard pressed to disagree.

Something Wild is a cult classic with greatness all around and throughout. It's an easy-going film that ratches up the tension slowly and thrives within its own details. All three central characters would go on to fantastic careers, as would its director, and it's easy to see why. They're likeable and confident, charismatic and convincing. The film itself is a neat little encapsulation of the 80s trying to escape itself, sick of its own cowardice and corporate kowtowing. It's also a refreshing, skewed take on the machismo of the era, with an unexpected but earned payoff.

I truly love this movie when I need to totally vanish from real life for a couple of hours. I wholeheartedly agree with the comments about how it goes from fun to serious almost seamlessly, but one part has been overlooked. The visit to Audrey's mother, Peaches, is almost abrupt in its quietude ("Don't call me Lulu, call me Audrey" changes everything), and it makes you wonder how Audrey became as free-spirited as she is. Peaches is no dummy, either... she reads right through Charlie with an air of a woman resigned to never really knowing her daughter. This little visit is the bridge between the fun and scary, the surreal and frighteningly real, and asks more questions than it answers... which works perfectly.

Stiff and strait banker Charles Driggs (Jeff Daniels) meets sexy wild gal Audrey Hankel (Melanie Griffith) and quickly falls under her spell. Initially, and weakly protesting, he soon finds that her lifestyle adds the spark to his otherwise dull existence. However, things get troublesome when her violent ex-convict husband (Ray Liotta) shows up and announces that if he can't have her? Nobody can!

Something of a cult hit these days, Something Wild (directed by Jonathan "Silence Of The Lambs" Demme) has that nice trick of being able to pull us in early for the comedy, and then take us down a darker, but still comical, road. Daniels is always an affable and easy to watch actor, and nothing changes here, but it's Griffith and an early Liotta turn that steals the show. Griffith is a ball of sexuality, and she looks fabulous into the bargain. Her Audrey (AKA Lulu) has a few layers that need to be peeled by Griffith and she does it with style. Liotta serves notice of what was to come four years down the line when a certain Mr Scorsese came calling. Menacing yet fun into the bargain, it's very much the perfect Liotta role. Demme paints an interesting picture as he blends yuppiedom with rebellious excess, the result being a quirky little number that, save for an inevitability that comes with the finale, is a rewarding, time fulfilling experience. Margaret Colin, Tracey Walter, Su Tissue and Charles Napier join the principals in the cast, while the zippy 80s soundtrack contains cuts from some of the decades luminaries like New Order, Fine Young Cannibals & UB40. 7/10

Jeff Daniels has never been better, Ray Liotta is wonderfully sexy and menacing, and even Melanie Griffith (whom I normally dislike) works well here. One of my favorite Demme movies, this one features all kinds of interesting little character bits (a Demme trademark), and a cool little detail that I only noticed upon my 3rd or 4th viewing: at the high school reunion, after Charlie and Audrey finish their sweet little dance, the lights flicker and black out for a moment, signaling the end of the first, lighter half of the film. Ray Liotta appears on screen seconds later, bringing with him the all the violence and danger of the second half.

A very simple but elegant touch. Check this one out, it's a really good movie. Great soundtrack too! 8/10.