Into the Wild (2007)

Director:

Sean Penn

Writers (WGA):

Sean Penn (screenplay)
Jon Krakauer (book)

Release Date:

21 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Your great adventure on Alaska.

Plot:

After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

Plot Keywords:

Charity | Wilderness | Emory University | Alaska | Dam

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 36 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Emile Hirsch	...	Chris McCandless
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Billie McCandless
William Hurt	...	Walt McCandless
Jena Malone	...	Carine McCandless / Additional Narrator
Brian H. Dierker	...	Rainey (as Brian Dierker)
Catherine Keener	...	Jan Burres
Vince Vaughn	...	Wayne Westerberg
Kristen Stewart	...	Tracy Tatro
Hal Holbrook	...	Ron Franz
Jim Gallien	...	Himself
James O'Neill	...	Graduation Reader (as James J. O'Neill)
Malinda McCollum	...	Waitress
Paul Knauls	...	Building Manager
Zach Galifianakis	...	Kevin
Craig Mutsch	...	Wayne's Crew #1

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some nudity.

Runtime:

148 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Danish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:15A | Finland:K-11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Germany:12 | France:Unrated | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:12 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | Italy:VM14 | Denmark:11 | Austria:10 | South Africa:13L | Australia:M | Iceland:7

Filming Locations:

Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Company:

Paramount Vantage

Trivia:

Sean Penn once envisioned Leonardo DiCaprio as Christopher Johnson McCandless and Marlon Brando as Ron Franz when he first became interested in making the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Chris leaves the "magic bus" to return to society, he looks back at the bus one last time and the bus door is clearly left wide open. After finding that he cannot cross the river and returns to the bus in the rain, he has to reach through a window to open the closed bus door, which he left open.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Christopher McCandless:Mom! Mom! Help me.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Call of the Wild (2007)

Soundtrack:

The Wolf

Real American Beauty - an exceptional movie

I've never posted a comment regarding a movie but feel compelled to after attending a screening of Into The Wild at the Toronto Film Festival last night. I won't speak to story here as it's covered in the other comments.

This is a movie of real beauty. It made me cry. I felt moved in a way that happens very rarely. It was an inspiration.

The feelings it evoked were all based on the power of the acting and the writing. The words were real and human. The relationships seemed real and human. This may not seem like a great feat - but I consider it a true rarity. It didn't feel calculated and artificial, like so many movies (read: Crash - but I'm not here to bash that...). It was very organic, natural and (I can't say it enough) just beautiful. Cripes, it's making me sound like a hippie, for heaven's sake. This for me was Penn's best work since Indian Runner.

What it reminded me of...

- Terence Malik - Herzog? - in a strange way Cassavettes? - Hal Ashby (more Coming Home than Harold & Maude...) - even a bit of Ken Loach

- Ruby in Paradise - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Five Easy Pieces - Easy Rider

... but when I list those it's not because of plot similarities (though there are some) or style (although I think you can definitely see the influence of some great films) - it's again because of the heart of it. I heard a few people at the screening comment that the film was "too long" but I don't agree. I think exploring a journey of this magnitude required visiting all of the people he touched and taking the time to see the land.

Hal Holbrook was just perfect, as was the cast as a whole, and I think Emile Hirsch is really going places - he was fantastic and he owned the role. Eddie Vedder's music worked perfectly as well - not distracting or quirky - just a part of the whole.

The film received a standing ovation and quite a few tears were shed. Magic.