Wild Things
Even in 1998, I think some critics and audiences missed the tongue firmly in the cheeks of screenwriter Stephen Peters and director John McNaughton when it comes to “Wild Things.” The film has the grey morality of film noir, but moments feel like high comedy. The film has the sexuality of soft-core erotica, but it is directed to such an absurdly comical degree that it feels like parody. I’ve always enjoyed “Wild Things,” but I think one of the things that makes it so captivating is that it’s almost a teen sex comedy take on the erotic thriller. If you’re watching it expecting “Basic Instinct” or “Fatal Attraction” or “Sliver,” you’re not going to be on this film’s wavelength. If you just roll with the absurdity of the film, you’ll love every crazy moment.
After an opening credits sequence establishing not just the Florida town of Bay Bridge- which has easy access to the swamps to go with its upper-class areas- but the deliriously great score by George S. Clinton, we focus in on Bay Bridge High School, and get a POV sequence of Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon’s character) walking to the auditorium. We haven’t even seen Dillon yet, but you can tell by the way that he’s greeted by both the guys- and girls- of the student body exactly the type of persona he has- he’s the big brother male students want, and the object of lust female students wouldn’t mind being wanted by. The final people we see are Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards) and her friend, Nicole, and immediately, we see how Kelly feels about him. The auditorium is filled by the senior class for a lecture on sex crimes, and two other main characters- Detective Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon) and student Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell)- are introduced. They are the opposite of Kelly and Sam; Sam seems comfortable with Kelly’s flirty looks, but Suzie wants to kill Ray. By the end of the film, we’ll understand why, and even how we get to the point where Sam is accused of rape by both Kelly and Suzie, even though Ray is initially skeptical of it.
That opening sequence lays out all the layers of genre that “Wild Things” will operate in through its 108 minute running time. Only in the movies would students get away with the shit they get away with in a school function without getting suspended, and Sam is a guidance counselor in name only- there’s no way any student would take his advice on life seriously. (Ok, Jimmy does, but that’s the allure of Sam as a big brother, not as an authority figure.) The moment Kelly comes to try and convince Sam to let her wash his jeep- and asks for a ride home- we know something is going to happen with them. Suzie is immediately defined as the polar opposite of Kelly. And Ray seems no nonsense as a cop, but he also seems shady for a lot of reasons. When Kelly leaves Sam’s house after the jeep washing, she seems upset in terms of being angry, not in terms of a girl who’s just been raped, and even when she tells her mother (Teresa Russell), it seems telegraphed to engender trust in a mother who probably hasn’t trusted Kelly in a while. Even if you immediately understand that this is all a setup- and you probably did, because the threesome scene between Dillon, Richards and Campbell was touted before the film came out- the fun is just getting started. Bill Murray’s ambulance chasing corner store lawyer and Robert Wagner’s serious lawyer working in opposite modes is a great choice for the most ridiculous part of the film, when Sam is tried for rape, and add to the comedic feel of this film. You really need to understand that this is a dark comedy for “Wild Things” to work for you.
If it weren’t for the cast, this would have been a direct-to-video skin flick, and would have just ended up on shelves with dozens of others in the genre. Credit to Bacon- who is an executive producer on the film- for seeing the potential in the film, and for the cast who is in on the joke with him. This might be one of Campbell’s best moments on screen- where she rings some depth out of the outsider Suzie, and shows she can acquit herself with others whom have their own motives in the film- and it’s certainly Richards; Kelly gives her a chance to play up her sexuality while also giving us a character who isn’t just a bimbo- we understand who she is, and even feel for her in terms of how she’s manipulated by Sam every step of the way. Dillon definitely feels like a sleazebag every step of the way with Sam, and not someone who should be trusted, especially by those he is in cahoots with. This film doesn’t work without these actors, especially as the film- in a tongue-in-cheek choice commenting on in-credits outtakes- is still explaining itself as the credits roll. The MCU has nothing on this film.
“Wild Things” has always been a guilty pleasure watch. Of course, the threesome and a later scene with Richards and Campbell roped me in in 1998, but the more I watch it, the more I just enjoy this film having fun with its audience, and its premise. If it didn’t succeed as much as it does, audiences wouldn’t be enjoying it 25 years later. All the pieces are in place, and they are hilariously silly, and tantalizingly seductive.
