Based on a true story. After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters who shape his life.
Genre(s): Adventure, Biography, Drama
Runtime: 148 minutes
Rating: 8.2/10 (76,704 votes)
Release Date: 1 September 2007
Country: USA
Languages: English, Danish
Company: Paramount Vantage
Sound: DTS, Dolby Digital, SDDS
MPAA: Rated R for language and some nudity.
Director(s): Sean Penn
Producer(s):
David Blocker – executive producer
Frank Hildebrand – executive producer
John J. Kelly – executive producer
Art Linson – producer
Sean Penn – producer
William Pohlad – producer (as Bill Pohlad)
Writer(s):
Sean Penn – (screenplay)
Jon Krakauer – (book)
Cast:
Emile Hirsch – Chris McCandless
Marcia Gay Harden – Billie McCandless
William Hurt – Walt McCandless
Jena Malone – Carine McCandless / Additional Narrator
Brian H. Dierker – Rainey (as Brian Dierker)
Catherine Keener – Jan Burres
Vince Vaughn – Wayne Westerberg
Kristen Stewart – Tracy Tatro
Hal Holbrook – Ron Franz
Jim Gallien – Himself
Music: Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder
Tagline: Your great adventure on Alaska.
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The main character, Chris, started to annoy me almost immediately andthe feeling grew as the movie progressed. Who would be so self-centeredand selfish that they would burn their money? At least leave it under arock for some poor traveler to enjoy! He travels by bumming rides (andfood) from others — how hypocritical can the "self-sufficient" manbecome? He's happy he found a straw hat in a field — are we supposedto respect him for that? Perhaps if he had had the skill to make thehat himself, he might have earned some grudging respect. Then he hikes"into the wild" in Alaska (after having bummed yet another ride) andsettles in an abandoned bus. He's nothing but a gigantic parasite,going on interminably about how evil money is, while at the same timeenjoying the fruits of other people's labor (and money), even if someof the items have been discarded. I wish he had never found the bus,but had had to live under a tree. How long would he have lasted then?To top off his irresponsible behavior and total selfishness, he simplydisappears without informing his family, causing them no end ofemotional stress. I'm sorry, this character was just an asshole. I'monly halfway into the movie right now, but having read other spoilers,I know he eventually dies, apparently in a senseless fashion. Iperversely find myself looking forward to this event, as horrible asthat sounds. I cannot believe that this movie was nominated for anOscar. It's a silly movie about a completely unlikeable and annoyinglynaive fool who in the end gets what he deserves.
For a movie to be even better than a good book is no small feat. Yet,that's how I felt after watching this film. It really impressed me. Oneof the reasons is the fantastic cinematography. Man, this is abeautifully filmed and, at 142 minutes, there are a lot of great scenesto admire.
Sean Penn directed and Eddie Gautier was the Director Of Photography. Ican't stand Penn as a person but fair-is-fair and I think he's great asa director, having seen his work in "The Pledge" and "The CrossingGuard." The main actor, Emile Hirsch, who plays "Chris McCandless"(a.k.a. "Alexander Supertramp" reminded me of Leonardo DiCaprio withhis looks, build and voice inflection. He is very credible as the youngguy who wants nothing to do with materialistic society and dreams ofliving in the wilds of Alaska. The problem was that he was unpreparedand underestimated what he was up against.
Two people who fascinated me the most in here were two extremes,age-wise – Hal Holbrook and Kristen Stewart. It was really great to seethe veteran Holbrook ("Ron France") again. He was about 82 when he madethis film and hadn't acted in a film in a few years. He was terrific,too. He had some of the most memorable scenes in the story. Meanwhile,teenager Stewart was captivating as "Tracy Tatro," who had a crush on"Alex." This young woman is on her way to stardom.
Brian Dierker and Catherine Keener also were really, really interestingas the aging hippie couple, "Rainey" and "Jan." I kept thinking, I knowthis guy when listening to Dierker's voice, finally guessing it wasJeff Bridges underneath all the beard….but it Dierker, a guy whorarely acts in films.
Knowing the book, the only part of the film that caught be off-guardwas the young Swedish couple. I don't remember them in the book butI'll never forget this in this film!! One could debate the pros andcons of Chris McCandless for hours, so no sense going into that here. Ithought the film was pretty kind to him. You read more in the bookabout how he hurt a lot of people with his silence. Either way, it's aa fascinating story and a beautiful film.