Recommendation: Wild Things

The cult classic film Wild Things hit U.S. theaters on March 20, 1998. I was a junior in high school and distinctly recall my classmates being extremely horny for this movie.

Of course, because I’m a contrarian asshole, who had (and has) trust issues, and at the time was a Florida transplant residing in Michigan, I concluded the flick was obvious garbage and refused to see it.

This kind of stubborn, obdurate, condescending approach to life typically serves me well — I’ve received all my vaccines — but in this instance I badly, badly miscalculated.

I mean, look at this madness!

Fast-forward twenty-five years and I received my shot at redemption. My independent cinema, Chicago’s legendary Music Box Theater, held a one-time screening and hosted a Q&A session afterward with director John McNaughton, a Chicago native.

I saw the movie — and all the gorgeous, naked movie stars in it — and it was a generative experience. Despite its lurid reputation, Wild Things is a legitimately fantastic film featuring twists and turns, incredible dialogue, tongue-in-cheek, pitch-black humor, beautiful cinematography, and all those gorgeous, naked movie stars.

It’s steamy, sweaty, trashy, and oh-so-Florida.

Six stars out of five.

Watching the film on the big screen was spectacular enough, but the subsequent Q&A with McNaughton and one of the film’s producers (I didn’t catch his name) took the experience to the next level.

Here are some not fact-checked highlights (and mild spoilers):

• Robert Downey Jr. was originally cast to play Matt Dillon’s part, but logistical and financial hurdles got in the way. At the time, Downey Jr. had been struggling with substance abuse problems, and the insurance company wanted a $900,000 premium to protect themselves in case he got in trouble again and couldn’t film. Eventually they worked out a deal where Downey Jr. would cover the cost, but McNaughton said his “handlers” were cagey and difficult and they couldn’t make things work. McNaughton lauded Downey Jr. as a wonderful actor, who could have played a more gender fluid lead role, but felt Dillon ended up being the better choice.
• Kevin Bacon was one of the first actors hired, and a bellwether for attracting many of the film’s truly amazing talents. But, when Downey Jr. dropped out, Bacon got skittish and considered leaving the project. To keep him on board, the studio made him an Executive Producer and gave him more money. Shockingly, he stayed the course.
• Bill Murray’s character, and his notorious neck brace, was inspired by an actual guidance counselor McNaughton met at a posh Florida high school.

• The unhinged plot, written by Stephen Peters, remained completely unchanged. All script modifications simply bulked up the characterizations.
• The movie is famous for featuring an aggressively naked Denise Richards, but the filmmakers intentionally tried to objectify both sexes. The male to female skin ratio nonetheless proved inequitable.
• Kevin Bacon’s manhood makes a brief, infamous, and unplanned appearance in the film. During the eighth take of the scene in question, he’s thrown a towel that doesn’t quite conceal his member. Full frontal nudity wasn’t part of Bacon’s contract, so they needed to ask him for explicit permission to use that footage. The producer was very nervous about informing him, but it was the best take, so he cautiously approached. Bacon’s response: “How’d it look?” When the producer confirmed Bacon’s penis “looked great,” he okayed the decision.
• McNaughton said Wild Things viewers are consistently surprised it’s such a competent film, given its “trashy” reputation. He finds this annoying yet amusing. To paraphrase: “We knew the movie was trashy, because we were making a trashy movie. But it’s also an excellent film, created by and with top-notch people. People act like we got lucky, but you can’t luck your way into making a great movie.”
• McNaughton called Wild Things one of his most overtly political works. “Look who wins at the end.”

See this movie. It’s amazing.