Into the Wild

It's always enjoyable when some of our finest actors decide to do other things. Directing movies has worked out well for some. I support trying to make music videos, dancing, ice skating. Whatever. I realize that while I do not even have one talent, some people have multiple. Sean Penn is not one of these people.

Sean Penn, if you're reading this, I know you are A Serious Man who doesn't appreciate jokes, so I ask you in all seriousness, why did you make this movie? I've read Into the Wild and the book was incredible. This movie made me want to kill myself.

You know when you're in middle school (ok whatever, maybe college) and you don't know how to start your paper so you just open with a nice long quote that is kinda sorta vaguely related to your topic? That's how this movie opened. Thanks, Sean Penn.

The main character played by Emile Hirsch, while in the book was definitely not someone I would want to be friends with, was still someone whose desire to travel and move around without any obligations or commitments and just see as much as possible was something I could relate to. The movie made this kid seem like an idiot. He seemed like an overly pretentious asshole whose entitlement enabled him to desert the world because he understood it and no one else did. Thanks, Sean Penn.

There were lots of beautiful shots of the surrounding forests, woods, and mountains but very brief images of what he actually does to survive in these surroundings. I mean thus guy was amazing. He built a shower out of a can and a tree. I wanted to see more of that stuff. More of his actual experience by himself in the wild which was why this guy did this in the first place and less of his stupid crush on a 16 year old "folk singer" in cutoffs. I blame Sean Penn.

All in all, I'm going to have to give this movie a thumbs down. Oh, I forgot to mention what this movie was about: a boy graduates from college and leaves his family, burns his money, and goes into the wild. Now you know.

Into the Wild: 1 out of 5