Review of Something Wild

Introduction

Jeff Daniels plays mild mannered executive Charlie Driggs and is a normal straightlaced kind guy. He lives in the suburbs, has an executive job and seems to have things set in life. All a little dull you might think, until he gets picked up by Lulu (Melanie Griffith) outside a diner where he skips out on paying. She`s anything but dull and knows a rebel when she sees one. What was supposed to be a lift back to his office then turns out to be more than just taking the scenic route.

Lulu takes him out for a wild time, just to bend and break his rules. To relax and have a fun time, no matter what the consequences. After ending up in a motel for the afternoon for a kinky session they embark on a road trip to meet Lulu`s mother! It`s one thing after another with this woman who`s anything but predictable. There`s a high school reunion to attend as well, and someone from Lulu`s past has come back to claim her. Ray Liotta is the man with designs on wresting Lulu back from Charlie and is well up for a fight if that`s what it takes.

Video

Presented with a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer, Something Wild provides a slightly better than average transfer. There`s some dirt and grime that appears from time-to-time which isn`t too distracting, but I thought it could have been a bit better. The colours are well balanced with a decent amount of detail and black coming through. Some shots looked better than others which led me to believe that these were on the cutting room floor, picked up again and given a quick wipe over. Mind you, this is a budget back catalogue title so it`s easy to see why no one`s too bothered about the transfer quality.

Audio

This comes with a DD2.0 audio track. Something Wild has quite a bit of dialogue and this is very clear. Also there`s a lot of 80s music here and this sounds very good too. Not a theatre tester, but more than adequate for the film.

Features

A trailer. English and Spanish subtitles. That`s all folks.

Conclusion

It`s a shame there aren`t any other extras here on the disc. I really enjoyed watching the film and laughed quite a bit too.

Demme has made another good film from a good script. He brings out good performances and shoots it well. The casting seems to be right, and the notable exception is Ray Liotta. He seems to be typecast as a bit of a nutter in a lot of films, and he does it here very well. He played a great support act to Daniels and Griffith. The ending too is just right, no sentimental nonsense, though a little clichéd. But it`s fine.

Being steeped in the 80s, what better way to invoke those old feelings of greatness than with classic music and the latest 80s fashion? New Order, The Fine Young Cannibals and even The Troggs get airplay. There`s a ton of other tunes too, but I couldn`t name them and didn`t recognise the names in the credits either. I loved the 80s, it was my time for sure!

This is an entertaining film, worth a rent. I don`t think it has much in the way of replay value though, there are no extras apart from the trailer, and it`s not really the type of film you could visit time and again. The mere fact that you can pick it up for a tenner online isn`t an indicator for a must have purchase. Just rent it one night and enjoy it!