Cheap Wild Things (DVD) (Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Neve Campbell) (John McNaughton) Price

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Customer Reviews of Wild Things

Calling this a guilty pleasure is an understatement
John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) directed this purposely sleezy erotic potboiler with a plot so convulted and loaded with so many twists you won't know what to make of it by the time the credits roll. Wild Things is one of those films in the vein of Basic Instinct and even Showgirls that is pure overproduced Hollywood trash, but you can't turn your head away. The story revolves around a respected Florida teacher (Matt Dillon) who is accused of rape by a wealthy student (Denise Richards) and a "wrong side of the tracks" student (Neve Campbell in goth/punk chick mode). All the while a seedy detective (Kevin Bacon) is on to them all, but as we soon learn after the first half hour of the film, nothing is as it seems. Bacon (who also served as executive producer), Campbell, Dillon, Richards, and the always fantastic Bill Murray play it straight, but Wild Things is best enjoyed for it's infamous visual thrills (including the threeway between Dillon, Campbell, and Richards, and Bacon's revealing shower scene) rather than it's story, and as a whole this film is a bona fide guilty pleasure worth watching again.

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Trash of the Gods!
"Wild Things" is a gloriously lurid and decadent little gem of a movie. I love movies that respect the intelligence of the audience while pandering to their base desires (most studio releases skip that first part), and "Wild Things" fits the bill perfectly.

The plot is - well, the plot is twisted, in every sense of the word. The story that seems to be unfolding ends at the halfway point of the movie - and then the real story begins. And in a technique I've never seen before, it continues through the ending credits, as director McNaughton gleefully fills in the holes.

"Wild Things" offers great, juicy turns from Neve Campbell, Denise Richards, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Theresa Russell, and especially Bill Murray as a hilariously corrupt small-time lawyer. Along the way we get lots of steamy, lurid peek-a-boo sex and nudity (which is so gratuitous it inspires genuine laughter), violence, and characters motivated by nothing more than pure greed. Put 'em together in the Everglades, and you have one hot movie.

I generally don't like movies that mess with the audience by hiding information, and then springing it on them later as a "twist." But twists work beautifully if the character is just as befuddled by them as the audience. Since "Wild Things" offers nothing but characters who think they have secrets and alliances but are actually only pawns in a game, every twist is justified.

This new "unrated" version incorporates scenes that aren't necessary, but are joyful anyway. If you have the original cut and you've got the money to throw around, go for it. If you haven't seen it, well, it's probably not for anyone. But if the thought of a wicked little Hitchcockian melodrama, dripping with sex and humor and directed with a wink, appeals to you, you can't go wrong with "Wild Things."

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Keeps you guessing
...that's for sure! This movie really does keep you guessing until the very end. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you don't and are very far from the truth. It has so many twists in the plot that you really do have to pay close attention to it the first time you watch it or you will miss something vital to understanding the ending. I liked it mainly because I thought I had it figured out but when the end came I was totally wrong. I enjoy movies that are unpredictable, which this one most definitely is. The movie is cast well. It includes Matt Dillon, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards, and even Bill Murrey. I think as far as casting goes the actors were prefct for the parts. Matt and Kevin play somewhat bad guys, which don't they usually. Neve Campbell plays a strange girl from the wrong side of the tracks and just nails the part. I like this movie and would recommend it to those that like a good ending and maybe some of you that want to see Neve Campbell making out with Denise Richards. Not my favorite part, but I know many guys would enjoy that scene.