WILD THINGS

What can you say about a movie whose first two words of dialogue are,

"F--k off!" from one of Blue Bay, South Florida’s budding high school beauties
before introducing us to the rest of the student body for a lecture on sex crimes.

The emcee is the handsome, trim, athletic Sam Lombardo. He is every teen
girl’s fantasy but Kelly Van Ryan is the one who makes it obvious. Her eyes are
all over him. The guest speakers are fellow police officers, Gloria Perez and
Ray Duquette, who gets some verbal abuse from several of the students,
particularly white trash Suzie Toller. Thus, are we introduced to the key players in "Wild
Things", a no holds barred, genre bending, sexually perverse thriller that has
more twists than a box of Bavarian pretzels.

It’s a sure sign of the sexual climate of the 90’s when Sam devises all kinds of
ploys to makes sure he is never alone with any of his female students. In a
running sight gag, Sam gives a lift to one student after another, until a bicycle is
wedged between him and Kelly. It’s obvious why Sam has been voted Teacher
of the Year. He has a great rapport with his students. So why shouldn’t he let
Kelly come around Sunday morning to wash his car as part of a school fund
raiser? No reason at all, yet. Sam treks to the Everglades, gets the car dirty,
spends the night with his girlfriend, and Kelly shows up - with a friend - on
schedule. Sam forgot she was coming. The girlfriend leaves. Kelly dismisses her
friend and sneaks into the house. Sam is surprised. Before his car and her wet
T-shirt have a chance to dry, she leaves as if nothing happened. A day later she
accuses Sam of rape.

"Wild Things" briefly drifts off into a melodramatic pastiche of some old Lana
Turner movies complete with vengeful mothers and courtroom confessions. The
short bursts of strained seriousness and corny dialogue by the rich and powerful
are punctuated by the comic relief of Bill Murray as Ken Bowden, Sam’s
low-rent defense attorney. He is a successful ambulance chaser who knows
how to get the facts, pummel the witnesses, and sway the jury. The sharp
contrast between him and the affluent plaintiff and her friends borders on the
absurd until the case comes to an abrupt end. Sam is off the hook, and his
lawyer wants to sue the pants off the Van Ryans. It all seems too good to be
true. Especially to the two cops - Perez and Duquette - who have been on the
case since day one. The facts of the case bother them. And when money
changes hands….the facts begin to change.

From here on out, it’s almost impossible to talk about "Wild Things" without
giving anything away. There are double, triple, and quadruple crosses!
Everyone is driven by lust, revenge, and greed. Especially greed. They’re all in
it for the money. The narrative leaves holes in the plot, only to return later to fill
in the gaps. You’re never sure who is out to do whom until the end title credit
fades to black.!

Neve Campbell has never been better as the beguiling white trash who has a
vendetta of her own to settle with a cop. Kevin Bacon is the cop who regrets
some of his past misconduct, although not for the reasons you might think.
Denise Richards is Kelly, who gets suckered by everybody. Matt Dillon is Sam,
the ‘blue blood’ wannabe who…..(Never mind.). No one is as bright as they
think they are, nor as unintelligent as some are led to believe. They are all "Wild
Things".

The supporting cast adds a touch of sanity to the insane proceedings. Carrie
Snodgress is the white-trash mom who admires her daughter’s resilience.
Theresa Russell plays the promiscuous rich mother who has her own reasons to
believe her daughter’s rape story. Daphne Rubin-Vega is the female cop who
adds her feminine insight to the rape case and all that follows. Robert Wagner
has a cameo as the befuddled father of Sam’s girlfriend, and financial lawyer for
the well-to-do. Then, of course, there’s Bill Murray who gives a classic
comedic performance.

Director, John McNaughton, keeps things moving at breakneck speed so you
never have time to think about where you’ve been, because every new scene
spins off in a new direction. I was dizzy with anticipation to see what was ahead
right up to the climactic scene on a sail boat. For a brief instant it had me
thinking about a French movie, called "Purple Noon" with Alain Delon. I
wouldn’t be surprised if the character of Sam was modeled after the murderous
playboy of Rene Clement’s classic. McNaughton and screen writer, Stephen
Peters could have easily stolen Clement’s ending and gotten away with it; but
that would have given "Wild Things" a moral dimension after almost two hours
of dementia. It’s pure trash. But, what entertaining trash!

Think "Scream" for suspense, "Bound" for raw sex, "The Usual Suspects" for a
one of a kind ending, and all three for intricate plotting, and you’ll have a good
idea what’s in store for you with "Wild Things". Have fun.

Copyright 1998