Anthony's Film Review - Wild Things (1998)

Wild Things is steamy and sexy with plenty of surprises...

I have to admit. Wild Things did a good job promoting itself in a way that stirs up curiosity, particularly in guys. Just look at the poster. What do you think of when you see Neve Campbell and Denise Richards supposedly naked in water? Something hot and steamy, right? Of course. Speaking of which, I remember a couple of guys I knew who wanted to see Wild Things for that reason, because another person who had seen the movie said it had plenty of sex for an R-rated movie. It's not often that I hear someone wanting to see a non-pornographic movie because of sex, even though it probably happens a lot.

Before I continue, let me first lay out the premise. The movie stars Campbell and Richards as two high school friends, Matt Dillon as a school counselor, and Kevin Bacon as a cop. The two girls accuse the counselor of rape, which is a very tense situation in and of itself. It leads to a courtroom trial where things get even more heated. Before I forget, there's one more important character here: Bill Murray as a lawyer.

The choice of Murray for a movie like this is an interesting one. I usually consider him to be a comic actor, one appearing in funny or lighthearted movies, such as Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day. To see him in a drama was a big change for me at the time I saw this back in 1998. But he is good here. Like many actors, he could make this kind of leap. As for the performances of Dillon, Bacon, Campbell, and Richards, they do a fine job in this movie.

OK, if you're curious about the sex, I will tell you this right now. There is some, but it's not the main focus. It mainly involves a steamy threesome scene. From there, a series of events takes place that involve other things altogether. I won't say what they are, because the real point of this movie is to throw plot twists. Not one or two, but several. In fact, once the closing credits roll, stick around. The first few minutes of it are broken up by additional scenes that reveal the final twists. The last one will make you nod your head with a mix of approval and surprise.

Just for that, I can say Wild Things is a movie that works. Not spectacularly, but still notably. It manages to draw people in with one expectation and deliver something else that is equally acceptable. If you're just looking for sex in a movie, you'll be disappointed. Like I said, the real payoff is the convoluted plot that can throw you off. It just goes to show that having a clever script can go a long way.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Wild Things, visit the Internet Movie Database.