Wild Things (1998)
“Can I play too? Or is it just for boys?” – Kelly Van Ryan.
Wild Things (1998)
Directed by: John McNaughton
Written by: Stephen Peters
Starring: Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Kevin Bacon, Bill Murray
Wild Things is known in pop culture lore as ‘the movie where Matt Dillon, Denise Richards, and Neve Campbell have a threesome’. Anytime this movie is referenced, that’s the steamy scene that gets called out. I’ve never heard literally anything else about the film, so just assumed it was awful and never watched it. However, when I was scrolling past I saw that this had some serious acting talent in the form of Kevin Bacon and Bill Murray. So I decided to give it a go, and…this is honestly one of the craziest thrillers I’ve ever watched. I’m still trying to decide if it’s a good or bad movie – as the plot borderlines on ridiculous at some stages - but there are about ten massive plot twists in this movie, meaning that at least it’s entertaining.
Set in South Florida, the movie focuses on high school guidance councillor and local heartthrob Sam Lobardo (Dillon). Sam’s perfect life begins to fall apart when he is accused of rape by two schoolgirls, the wealthy and popular Kelly Van Ryan (Richards) and local outcast Suzie Toller (Campbell). As police detective Ray Duquette (Bacon) investigates, he soon realises that the case is not as straightforward as it seems, with the motives and alibis of everyone in town coming into question.
Simply put, this movie was heaps of fun. It’s not winning any awards, and Bacon himself described the script as “the trashiest thing he had ever read”, but every couple of scenes there is a groundbreaking “what-the-hell-just-happened” plot twist. As soon as you think you have a character pinned down, Peters moves the goalposts, making the script an incredibly dynamic and constantly evolving bundle of energy. You have to try and work out the what, when, how, who and why along with Duquette as he conducts his investigation, meaning this is a true crime thriller. As I stated, any movies with TOO many twists can verge on the ridiculous, and Wild Things definitely fits into this category – the plot gets less plausible the longer the movie goes on. But by the hour mark, you sort of just roll with it and enjoy the ride. These twists continue right into the credits, so it’s absolutely bonkers, but at least it doesn’t take itself too seriously and McNaughton embraces the lunacy of the plot.
Apologies for the bad quality tacky trailer below - note that it also reveals basically the whole movie - make sure to only watch the first minute or so if you don’t want it spoiled!
The cast does a great job at playing their initial character stereotypes – Richards as the spoilt local heiress, Campbell as the troubled and abrasive teen, Bacon as the hot-headed but determined detective, Murray as the slimy lawyer, and Dillon as the innocent everyman. In fact, they play these roles so well that it’s an even bigger shock when some of these facades begin to fall and the ‘real’ characters are revealed. Each actor gets to show his or her true range, with consistently enjoyable performances by the whole ensemble.
In summary, this is not a traditional masterpiece. The plot is a jumble of ideas rapidly thrown together and untangled almost as quickly. However, it’s incredibly engaging, doesn’t take itself too seriously, and is insanely fun throughout. If you’re looking for something to chuck on that is short, simple and easy to watch, you can’t really go wrong with Wild Things.
Rating: 7/10
Casting considerations:
Matt Dillon wasn’t actually the first choice for Sam Lombardo – that was Robert Downey Jr. Weirdly enough, his biggest draw for the mysterious and ethically questionable Lombardo was the fact that he came with his highly publicised drug problems. However, Downey Jr. was seen as too great of an insurance risk, and so Dillon went on to win the role.
Campbell was a walk up to her role, coming off her success in Party of Five and Scream, and was extremely keen to play off-type for once.
‘That’ scene:
As stated, the film gained huge notoriety for its sex scenes, as they were more explicit than other Hollywood releases at the time.
All actors wrote in nudity clauses in their contracts, with Campbell insisting on a strict no-nudity clause, and Richards including the option to use a body double. Eventually Richards decided not to use a body double, with herself and Campbell apparently drinking “a pitcher of margaritas” to build up some liquid courage before the scene was filmed.
Ironically, the only full frontal nudity in the whole film is Kevin Bacon.
Sequels:
The movie was followed by 3 sequels, which basically copy and pasted the script. These went straight to DVD.