Movie Review- Wild

Many years ago, I read Cheryl Strayed's memoir, Wild and it quickly became the book that I was recommending to all of my friends. I was so excited when I heard that a film adaptation was in the works and that Reese Witherspoon was cast as Strayed. 

PLOT - When Cheryl Strayed's beloved mother dies quickly from a fast spreading cancer, Strayed becomes overwhelmed with grief. In her grief, she acts out. She cheats on her husband, having sex with countless men. She starts using heroin and pulls away from her friends and family. On the insistence of a friend, Strayed goes to a drugstore to buy a pregnancy test and while there, she sees a guide for the Pacific Crest Trail, a trail that spans from Mexico to the west coast of Canada. She mentions that she is unfit to be a mother ( pointing to a possible abortion) and the idea of this hike takes hold. Although she isn't an experienced hiker, Strayed decides to attempt the trail alone in hopes of finding her lost self along the way. The film bounces between flashbacks and her hike. 

LIKE - It's been a very long time since I've read Strayed book, but if this wasn't exactly like her memoir, then it was close and more importantly, it was faithful to the spirit of her book. I don't remember the book making me cry, but I cried buckets in the movie theatre. Seriously, I cried an embarrassing amount! Reese Witherspoon is so, so good as Strayed. Wild is an emotional roller coaster and I can't think of a better actress to play the part. As someone who has experience a lot of death and grieving over the last few years, watching this movie was a cathartic experience. It was intense for me and I felt like my stomach was tied up in knots for the entire duration. Beyond the story, this film is visually stunning. I'm so glad that we caught it in theaters. The music, with its haunting versions of Simon and Garfunkel songs was perfect to set the tone of the film. Wild is just so beautifully and thoughtfully done, that I left feeling like I had experienced something special.

DISLIKE - As much as I loved Wild, there were a few things that I wish had been done differently. Occasionally, the number of days that had passed on the hike would flash on the screen. I wish that they had also include where she was on the hike. The place wasn't always clear. There is a CG Fox that frequently appears and it looks very fake. Having a fake fox when everything else was so realistic, was jarring. Lastly, the very end was abrupt. I wasn't quite ready for her to reach her destination and it felt anticlimactic. 

RECOMMEND - Yes! Read the book first, but definitely see the film adaptation. Make sure to bring kleenex and sun glasses. Brace yourself for an emotional tsunami. 

Book Review- Cheryl Strayed's Wild (From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail)

Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild is exactly the type of book that appeals to me. I love stories of people setting off on adventures and I also feel connected to stories of grief and attempts to find a place in the world.

After her mother's death, Strayed found herself in her early twenties and falling apart. Her once close-knit family took an isolationist approach to grief and grew distant. Strayed dropped out of college just shy of graduation, cheated on her husband and turned to heroin. She found a guide-book to backpacking the Pacific Crest Trail, a trail that stretches from Mexico to Canada and although inexperienced, decided to give it a shot.

Strayed saved money from waitressing jobs, bought what she thought was proper gear and planned ahead, parceling out money and supplies sent ahead to post offices along the route. She decided to spend a few months along the trail from Death Valley, California to Portland Oregon. Strayed soon learned all of the book information and hiking tips from REI, did not adequately prepare her for this journey.

The brilliance in this memoir is Strayed ability to write about her life in a way that is so relatable. She exposes herself, warts and all, and her vulnerability makes her so likeable. It made me root for her to succeed on her journey, even though she has made some monumental mistakes in her life. She doesn't gloss over the spousal cheating and drug use. She doesn't make excuses or ask the reader to forgive her. She just exposes herself and it makes the reader accept her past, but love her for the person that she will become, as we get to be part of watching the transformation.

This book is exciting. It's filled with plenty of action and tense moments, as the trail is a harsh place and Strayed is definitely unprepared. Besides Strayed's story, the book is interesting because it exposes a subset of society, those who backpack on these trails. It's a culture and it's fascinating. Strayed makes plenty of friends on her adventure and each has an interesting story of why they are on the PCT. The PCT is its own character that's constantly changing and filled with surprises.

Strayed's memoir is rooted in grief and is very healing. It made me cry, in several places. I had been reading it during my lunch breaks at work, but found it to be so emotional, that I finished it in the privacy of my home. The emotional passages hit me like a ton of bricks and were hard to predict where they would fall in the book. They are profound and sprinkled throughout. Strayed is very self-aware and has a knack for keen observations often leading to profound statements.

This book is a must read.