In a movie about picking up the pieces of one’s life when one strays from a secure and safe path, “Wild” depicts the true story of Cheryl Strayed’s physical journey in hiking the 1,100 mile Pacific Crest Trail to bring herself back to the person she was brought up to be rather than the person she has become. Along the way, the film presents pieces of Cheryl’s life in flashbacks and we gain an understanding as to how Cheryl’s life has veered onto a darker path and, more importantly, an interest into how she will bring herself back onto the straight-and-narrow. What makes us care about Cheryl is in large part due to her portrayal by Reese Witherspoon, who gives her best performance in “Wild.”
Based on the bestselling memoir, “Wild” may seem like a movie crammed with clichéd metaphors: embarking on a solo hike to bring one back to a righteous lifestyle path, Cheryl changing her last name to Strayed, the title ‘Wild’ referring not only to the wilderness path upon which Cheryl walks but the wild lifestyle Cheryl hopes to correct and escape through her trek. But “Wild” digs deeper than its superficial appearance; it’s one of the better films you’ll find of a character seeking personal redemption. Witherspoon’s performance reminded me a lot of Harvey Keitel’s performance in “Bad Lieutenant,” characters whose lifestyle of drugs and promiscuity force an introspection that requires a redemptive action. While “Wild’s” depiction of this darker side seems like Disney compared to “Bad Lieuteneant’s,” the similar story elements are there.
What we learn of Cheryl is through flashbacks as she hikes the Pacific Crest Trail. In these scenes, we find the catalyst for her journey- the death of her mother, Bobbi (Laura Dern). After escaping her alcoholic and physically-abusive husband, Bobbi raises Cheryl and her brother, Leif (Keene McRae) by working as a waitress and attending school part-time to better herself and provide more for her children. Cheryl also works as a waitress alongside Bobbi and attends the same school, although we see Cheryl distancing herself from her mother as they pass each other in the hallway. At home, Cheryl apologizes for the slight, but Bobbi is a woman who understands the embarrassment her daughter may feel and loves her regardless- Bobbi is a woman of understanding and hope. While Cheryl angrily confronts Bobbi about not leaving her abusive father sooner or questioning why she would marry him in the first place, Bobbi’s answer is simple- without him, she would not have Cheryl and Leif.
While we watch Cheryl’s journey along the trail, we are given these pieces of information that shape Cheryl’s character. As Cheryl watches Bobbi succumb to a terminal illness, Cheryl’s life begins to spiral downward having witnessed the unfair and cruel cards life has dealt to her good-hearted mother. Cheryl seeks solace in random, promiscuous sex and begins using heroin supplied through one of her affairs. When her husband Paul (Thomas Sadoski) discovers her infidelity and drug use, the two divorce and Cheryl changes her last name to Strayed (it seems like the logical choice to Cheryl). Seeing a guide book cover showing the serene majesty of nature along the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl knows this is her path to redemption.
The flashbacks used in the film provide a parallel to Cheryl’s physical journey and are triggered by the experiences Cheryl encounters along the trail. While Cheryl’s trek is interesting and engaging, it’s the flashbacks providing insight into Cheryl’s character that make “Wild” work. Nicely directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, who gave us last year’s equally-engaging true story and character study “Dallas Buyers Club,” and written by Nick Hornby, who has an affinity for drawing interesting and layered characters as he had in “About a Boy” and “High Fidelity,” it’s really Witherspoon who makes the character of Cheryl and the movie come alive. Her performance in “Wild” really delivers the film’s message of how the missteps we take on life’s journey are essential mistakes that shape us into the people we are.
Given the pieces of toughness and tenderness that make up the many facets of Cheryl Strayed, Reese Witherspoon makes them her own.