Delayed Reaction: Something Wild

The Pitch: A great reminder that before Jonathan Demme was known for The Silence of the Lambs and depressing dramas, he was a guy you went to for slightly off-kilter RomComs.

An uptight yuppie gets caught up on an impromptu road trip with a free-spirited woman.

I don't know if other people run into this problem, or if it's more unique to people like me who follow movies and TV obsessively through sites and podcasts. Certain movies will come seemingly out of nowhere then start following me around. I had no idea what Something Wild was until a couple months ago. The poster didn't even look familiar.

Then, Jonathan Demme died, and people kept bringing this up as one of his hidden gems. Ever since, I can't shake it. It's popping up on recommended movies lists. It's getting offhand mentions in completely unrelated podcasts. So, I decided to listen to what the universe was telling me and see it.

I get it. This is a charming movie. It's a fun "opposite attract" story with the added twist that they both essentially over-correct as they meet in the middle. So, the yuppie Jeff Daniels gets extra wild and the free spirited Melenie Griffith reveals that she's putting on more of a show than we assumed at first. Much like Married to the Mob though, I just don't see why the critical memory of it has been so strong. I've heard repeatedly how great Ray Liotta is in the movie. I don't get it. He's good as the villainous ex-husband. Nothing that special about it from my perspective. It isn't a star-making performance.

Oddly enough, the most enduring memory I think I'll have of the movie is Sister Carol's performance of "Wild Thing" during the credits. It's so simple, but it just works. This shouldn't surprise me. So far, my favorite non-Silence of the Lambs Demme movie by far has been Stop Making Sense, which also used a lo-fi approach to make the music sing.

Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, and Ray Liotta all give good performances, playing into character types that are known strengths of theirs. The story reveals itself in unexpected ways (not to be confused with calling it twisty). I like the pacing. While I didn't ever laugh, it's a good-humored movie. Just don't go into the movie with expectations that are too high.

Verdict: Weakly Recommend