Into the Wild
starring: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt
directed by: Sean Penn
directed by: Sean Penn
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Product Description:
Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 03/04/2008Run time: 148 minutesRating: R
Amazon.com:
A superb cast and an even-handed treatment of a true story buoy Into the Wild, Sean Penn's screen adaptation of Jon Krakauer's bestselling book. Emile Hirsch stars as Christopher McCandless, scion of a prosperous but troubled family who, after graduating from Atlanta's Emory University in the early 1990s, decides to chuck it all and become a self-styled "aesthetic voyager" in search of "ultimate freedom." He certainly doesn't do it halfway: after donating his substantial savings account to charity and literally torching the rest of his cash, McCandless changes his name (to "Alexander Supertramp"), abandons his family (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden as his bickering, clueless parents and Jena Malone as his baffled but loving sister, who relates much of the backstory in voice-over), and hits the road, bound for the Alaskan bush and determined not to be found. For the next two years he lives the life of a vagabond, working a few odd jobs, kayaking through the Grand Canyon into Mexico, landing on L.A.'s Skid Row, and turning his back on everyone who tried to befriends him (including Catherine Keener and Brian Dierker as two kindly, middle-aged hippies and Hal Holbrook in a deeply affecting performance as an old widower who tries to take "Alex" under his wing). Penn, who directed and wrote the screenplay, alternates these interludes with scenes depicting McCandless' Alaskan idyll--which soon turns out be not so idyllic after all. Settling into an abandoned school bus, he manages to sustain himself for a while, shooting small game (and one very large moose), reading, and recording his existential musings on paper. But when the harsh realities of life in the wilderness set in, our boy finds himself well out of his depth, not just ill-prepared for the rigors of day to day survival but realizing the importance of the very thing he wanted to escape--namely, human relationships. It'd be easy to either idealize McCandless as a genuinely free spirit, unencumbered by the societal strictures that tie the rest of us down, or else dismiss him as a hopelessly callow naïf, a fool whose disdain for practical realities ultimately doomed him. Into the Wild does neither, for the most part telling the tale with an admirable lack of cheap sentiment and leaving us to decide for ourselves. --Sam Graham
Studio: Paramount Home VideoRelease Date: 03/04/2008Run time: 148 minutesRating: R
Amazon.com:
A superb cast and an even-handed treatment of a true story buoy Into the Wild, Sean Penn's screen adaptation of Jon Krakauer's bestselling book. Emile Hirsch stars as Christopher McCandless, scion of a prosperous but troubled family who, after graduating from Atlanta's Emory University in the early 1990s, decides to chuck it all and become a self-styled "aesthetic voyager" in search of "ultimate freedom." He certainly doesn't do it halfway: after donating his substantial savings account to charity and literally torching the rest of his cash, McCandless changes his name (to "Alexander Supertramp"), abandons his family (William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden as his bickering, clueless parents and Jena Malone as his baffled but loving sister, who relates much of the backstory in voice-over), and hits the road, bound for the Alaskan bush and determined not to be found. For the next two years he lives the life of a vagabond, working a few odd jobs, kayaking through the Grand Canyon into Mexico, landing on L.A.'s Skid Row, and turning his back on everyone who tried to befriends him (including Catherine Keener and Brian Dierker as two kindly, middle-aged hippies and Hal Holbrook in a deeply affecting performance as an old widower who tries to take "Alex" under his wing). Penn, who directed and wrote the screenplay, alternates these interludes with scenes depicting McCandless' Alaskan idyll--which soon turns out be not so idyllic after all. Settling into an abandoned school bus, he manages to sustain himself for a while, shooting small game (and one very large moose), reading, and recording his existential musings on paper. But when the harsh realities of life in the wilderness set in, our boy finds himself well out of his depth, not just ill-prepared for the rigors of day to day survival but realizing the importance of the very thing he wanted to escape--namely, human relationships. It'd be easy to either idealize McCandless as a genuinely free spirit, unencumbered by the societal strictures that tie the rest of us down, or else dismiss him as a hopelessly callow naïf, a fool whose disdain for practical realities ultimately doomed him. Into the Wild does neither, for the most part telling the tale with an admirable lack of cheap sentiment and leaving us to decide for ourselves. --Sam Graham
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- PagingPaul Harvey ... for the rest of the story!
First, I'll get my admitted bias out of the way: Whenever 'Hollywood' gets a hold of something that is hawked as "based on true events", this should be a huge red flag to viewers that they should make it their business to research the alleged "based on true events" in order to separate the Hollywood tendency to engage in both directorial "creative license" and "for the sake of the plot" alterations. Unfortunately, there are folks who see the proverbial 'Silver Screen' [or book [Jon Krakauer] for ... Read More
Rating: 
- Tediously boring and poorly acted
I tried to watch and even enjoy this film...
god bless all who dare view it.
Rating: 
- Free at Last
What i Got out of this movie was simply that this young man lacked nothing materially, but was starved for a relationship with his dad and mom,and had the father wound so common for american young men...having grown up with hard working dads whocome home at night spent, and whospend lots of timeassembling their portfolios and placetheir security in how muchmoney they have andwhat status level they are at, how many toys they have..ect ect.. this young manhad probably been toldmost ... Read More
Rating: - One of the best of 2007
I knew nothing of Christopher McCandless or the book of his life or even anything about this movie until I was sitting in the cinema. The only thing I knew is that Sean Penn was directing and having been very impressed with his gut-wrenching, if incredibly downbeat, The Pledge I was pretty much guaranteed to like this film. My guess turned out to be extremely correct.
Alexander Supertramp (that's Emile Hirsch as McCandless folks) is a man with no attachments. Having been raised in a loveless ... Read More
Rating: - Moving and Inspiring
Just finished watching this film for the 2nd time.Cried like a baby both times.Between the direction, and Hirsch's, Keener's, Vaughn's (whom I usually can't stand) and (in my opinion) most notably Holbrook's performances, this has become one of my favorite films of the year.I know Holbrook's part was small, but he was amazing, and I really feel that he should have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.Anyway, the scene with him and Hirsch in Ron's jeep is heartbreaking.When he asks Alex to let ... Read More
- PagingPaul Harvey ... for the rest of the story!First, I'll get my admitted bias out of the way: Whenever 'Hollywood' gets a hold of something that is hawked as "based on true events", this should be a huge red flag to viewers that they should make it their business to research the alleged "based on true events" in order to separate the Hollywood tendency to engage in both directorial "creative license" and "for the sake of the plot" alterations. Unfortunately, there are folks who see the proverbial 'Silver Screen' [or book [Jon Krakauer] for ... Read More
- Tediously boring and poorly actedI tried to watch and even enjoy this film...
god bless all who dare view it.
- Free at LastWhat i Got out of this movie was simply that this young man lacked nothing materially, but was starved for a relationship with his dad and mom,and had the father wound so common for american young men...having grown up with hard working dads whocome home at night spent, and whospend lots of timeassembling their portfolios and placetheir security in how muchmoney they have andwhat status level they are at, how many toys they have..ect ect.. this young manhad probably been toldmost ... Read More
- One of the best of 2007I knew nothing of Christopher McCandless or the book of his life or even anything about this movie until I was sitting in the cinema. The only thing I knew is that Sean Penn was directing and having been very impressed with his gut-wrenching, if incredibly downbeat, The Pledge I was pretty much guaranteed to like this film. My guess turned out to be extremely correct.
Alexander Supertramp (that's Emile Hirsch as McCandless folks) is a man with no attachments. Having been raised in a loveless ... Read More
- Moving and InspiringJust finished watching this film for the 2nd time.Cried like a baby both times.Between the direction, and Hirsch's, Keener's, Vaughn's (whom I usually can't stand) and (in my opinion) most notably Holbrook's performances, this has become one of my favorite films of the year.I know Holbrook's part was small, but he was amazing, and I really feel that he should have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.Anyway, the scene with him and Hirsch in Ron's jeep is heartbreaking.When he asks Alex to let ... Read More
