wild things ( 1998 ) rated r for strong sexuality , nudity , language and violence . ---------- out of 4 stars : * * * 1/2 ( 3 1/2 stars ) starring : kevin bacon , matt dillon , neve campbell , denise richards , theresa russell , daphne rubin-vega as much as i wanted to like this film as i went into it , the more pleased i was when i left . first , getting through all the usual lines of newspaper glitz : " if you liked scream , you'll love wild things ! " " campbell gives a stunning performance ! " " this twisty plot will have you dazzled for days ! " ( oh yeah , the day a newspaper uses these is the day neve campbell falls in love with me ) now , onto more serious stuff ( and with this film , i mean that in nearly a sarcastic way ) . wild things has single-handedly broken down the rules surrounding the r rating from the mpaa . i'm not saying that in a bad way , but when you see this film , you may be shocked by what you see . however , perhaps the mpaa was pleased by the film's charming cast and tricky plot , that they let the film slide with an r rating . being mormon , i'm bound to hear an uproar from religious zealots warning me not to see the film . trouble is , i have already seen it . and i like it ! wild things is a film noir of the 90s , filled with 40s sensibilities , and yet breaking the rules and modern-day taboos of 90s culture . the style in which it is filmed is rich in color . the actors are all gorgeous people , seemingly drawn from the same gene pool and placed into this film . sure , it's all too good to be true , but ain't it fun to watch ? when movies like this come along ( sort of a better version of basic instinct ) there is bound to be people who either love it or hate it . there will be people who don't want to admit liking what they see , but i tell you , most anyone who sees this will like it . wild things begins at blue bay high school , the one high school in the world that any teenager would love to get into . it's almost as if students are put through entrance exams just for admittance ( totally based on looks alone ) . of course , there are those select few who may look slightly ugly , but compared to the average person , they are gorgeous . immediately , the film finds its tone and the audience settles in for an enjoyable time . we can turn off our brains , right ? wrong . while you may be expecting one thing to happen , it certainly doesn't turn out that way . the film begins in a classroom , with nearly all the main characters present . there's sam lombardo ( matt dillon ) , a counselor for the students . he's heading the class discussion . there's also kelly van ryan ( denise richards ) , a snobby rich teen who has fallen in love with sam . teaching the class , however , are two policemen : ray duquette ( kevin bacon ) and gloria perez ( daphne rubin-vega ) , who want to talk about 'sex . . . ( cheers ) crimes ( boos ) ' . " what is a sex crime ? " ray asks . " not gettin' any ! " one student responds . this pretty much sets the tone of the film we are about to watch . however , upon hearing this , one student , suzie toller ( neve campbell ) , stands up and leaves the room , commenting that they can both kiss part of her body . and so , wild things sets into motion . quickly , kelly begins hitting on sam , but sam doesn't want anything to do with her advances . kelly is stubborn and continues to pursue him . she even pleads with him to let her wash his jeep . surprisingly , that's really all i can tell you about the plot . any more would give away one of the many crucial plot twists . and what's more , these plot twists are actually unpredictable . going along the way of scream , wild things maintains that film's surprises , and then adds even more to them . there are more plot twists in this film than probably any i have ever seen . and even though you think you may get tired of them , the surprises are so genuine that it's rather pleasing . going back over them in my mind , nearly all of them work , though some stretch the boundaries of belief . thankfully , the convoluted plot doesn't give us much time to think about each one , pouncing yet another twist on us before the shock of the previous one has worn off . as for the critics who complain that the film is trashy--well , it is . this is pretty much just one trashy film . however , it is the kind of trashy that isn't hard to watch . it's good trash , in a sense . one , the screenplay knows that it's not to be taken seriously , and it includes a lot of humor and satire into the story . this varies everywhere from kelly's mother ( theresa russell ) , who is more of a caricature of rich people , all the way to an ambulance-chasing lawyer ( bill murray ) , who wears a neck-brace to cover an insurance scam he is running . bill murray also provides the best character in the film , and most of the genuine laughs . and two , the sex is more than gratuitous , although not unwelcomed . wild things is supposed to have sex in it ( what film with that title wouldn't ? ) , and this movie breaks the boundaries . instead of having heterosexual sex scenes , it also includes lesbian scenes between denise richards and neve campbell ( don't worry . . . it's not as graphic as you might think ) . the heterosexual scenes are quite graphic , but the surprise shocker is kevin bacon's full-frontal nude scene . it's very brief , so if you blink , you may miss ( ahem ) it . and , for as long as i can remember , i don't think i have seen an r-rated film show an erect one before ( it's not completely , but judging from the audiences' reaction , it was more than they expected too ) . also , during one scene late in the film , there seemed to be a relationship brewing between bacon and dillon's characters , but nothing came of it ( makes you wonder if the director had to cut it in order for the r rating , or if the actors refused to do it ) . what first made me want to see wild things was its cast . neve campbell , of course , has been one of my favorite actresses since the scream films were released . here , however , she turns every typical role she has done on its head and plays a gothic pothead . the closest role to this was her performance in the craft ( though even in that she was a nice girl ) . campbell is probably the best in the film and shows her wide range of talent . you can tell she will be around for a long time . denise richards will also be around for a long time , although she may be limited to the roles without much range . here , she gets to express more emotions than in her stiff ( yet effective ) performance in starship troopers . hopefully one day she will land a very good role that can display her ability . and then there is daphne rubin-vega , a newcomer to the movies . she gives a very good performance , although her character is mostly left to the background for the first hour and a half . towards the end she does get a bigger part . on the male side , matt dillon is probably the best , giving a subtle performance that surprises with every twist . kevin bacon has a slightly wooden character , but he makes the most of it . you must have admiration , though , for what he did on screen . and judging from many of the women's reactions in the theater to that shot , they have grown a deeper appreciation for bacon ( yeah , right ) . and then there is bill murray . his performance is the comic relief , and he nearly steals the film . as a whole , the entire cast works wondrously together , and they seem at home , even when doing the menage a troi . director john mcnaughton , who has previously done the critically acclaimed henry : portrait of a serial killer , has constructed a wonderfully twisty plot that works . his direction is smooth and stylish . the visuals are striking , filled with rich colors , and almost so realistic that we can actually breathe the humidity in the air . however , he seems more at home when the actors aren't talking . his fly-by shots of the swampy areas are brilliant , and his photography of denise richards' climbing out of the pool is a highlight . the cinematography is gorgeous in its details . its not often that you see a film like this , and we should watch it just to see how the camera can take pictures . then , there is the music . this was probably the most obvious thing to me , as it set the perfect mood for the film . it's hard to describe in words , so just see the film and listen to it . it's wonderfully composed and presented . and be sure to stick around during the closing credits ! mcnaughton has finally put the ending credits to good use ( while most comedies use it for outtakes ) . he has included some small scenes which help explain the preceding events . some may say that these are lame attempts to explain the convoluted plot , but it's an entertaining way to finish the film . plus , there are some shocking moments in these ending credits which just add to the fun . wild things is appropriately rated r for strong sexuality , nudity , language and violence . again , the nudity is rather unnecessary , but let's face it--people want to see it . so why not give it to them ? neve campbell , admirably , has a no-nudity clause in her contract , and the most you see of her is from behind as she takes her top off ( way to go , neve ! ) . the sex scenes are graphic , especially the first one we see , between the mother and one of her deck hands . one almost wonders how they got away with the r rating . the language is quite harsh too , ranging from sexual innuendo to your average , everyday profanity . and i can't stress it enough : don't allow kids under 18 to see this film . the target age for the movie is the 18-24 range , and that's who should see it . it's definitely not for those under 18 ! did i mention that this film is rated r ? however , for those that do get a chance to watch it , you will probably more likely be pleased , and may even take friends to see it the next time . reviewed by respect ( <a href= " mailto : respect@aros . net " >respect@aros . net</a> ) <a href= " http : //www . aros . net/~respect/movies . html " >http : //www . aros . net/~respect/movies . html</a> 
