Director John McNaughton's terrifically sleazy new film, "Wild Things," is tongue-in-cheek smut for the "Scream" generation. Delivered with the same sardonic tone as that now-classic 1996 horror film and featuring the same actress, Neve Campbell, "Wild Things" makes fun of the genre that it belongs to (in this case, pulp fiction) while also serving as a great example for it.
While not as consistently thrilling and clever as "Scream," "Wild Things" delivers a lot of punch. The story revolves around two girls, spoiled brat Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards) and trailer trash Suzie Teller (Campbell), who accuse their overly friendly high school guidance counselor, Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon), of rape.
The girls' stories are hardly reliable considering Kelly's obvious infatuation with the counselor and Suzie's general untrustworthiness, but the case gets taken to court with an ambulance-chasing attorney played by Bill Murray representing Lombardo. The court scene, thanks to Murray's engaging smarminess and Richards' hysterical glass-throwing tantrum, is sheer camp fun.
From the trial scene on, "Wild Things" becomes increasingly convoluted. Characters form unlikely unions with other characters, and the filmmakers hint at alternate sexualities for all of the key players, increasing the possibilities for different alliances. Different sexualities are used as tools to manipulate the structure of the film, making it virtually impossible to determine who is conning who, since any of the
schemers may be in cahoots with any other character.
While this film pretends to be "wild" due to its flirtation with the presentation of non-heterosexual sex, it should be noted that the physical stuff in this movie is about as erotic and artfully filmed as a wet T-shirt contest in a "Porky's" movie. Luckily, the film aims for a tawdry tone rather than trying to generate any real heat, and it succeeds on those grounds.
The film's over-the-top dialogue and performances indicate that the filmmakers are aware of what will tickle the audience's funny bone, rooting this movie in firm satirical territory. The audience always feels like it is laughing with this film, not at it.
The less-than-serious mood is complemented by McNaughton's not-too-subtle visual approach. Close-ups of the cast's bland good looks are prevalent, and most of these shots accentuate those features that are obviously surgically enhanced. There are also more than a few images of alligators lounging around in a Florida swamp to please fans of repetitive and too-obvious visual metaphor.
While all of this is well and good, one of the film's biggest stumbling blocks is the actress cast in the lead role. The marginally talented Campbell is unconvincing here, and she seems to employ the same old tricks time and time again when it comes to crafting her screen and television heroines. Campbell's trademark vocal delivery -- hushed, then a little louder, then hushed again -- coupled with her self-conscious arm jerks and "I'm sensitive"-posturing grows tedious after the first minute or so. It may be worth a laugh, but Campbell's presence is jarring.
Thankfully, the other actors fare a lot better. Murray is predictably funny, and Dillon and Kevin Bacon (who plays a beleaguered cop) demonstrate why they never became '80s relics. Both actors possess a serviceable facelessness -- neither is particularly magnetic and there is nothing overly distinctive about them -- so they blend into different roles easily and comfortably.
As well cast as Dillon and Bacon are, it is Richards who provides more laughs, intentional and otherwise, than any of the other cast members. Playing a stupid, shallow high school floozy, Richards delivers a performance that best suits the film's tone and makes Campbell and her quivering lips seem even more misplaced. That is not to say that Richards is a good actress -- that seems highly unlikely -- but she is at least aware of what the material calls for and delivers accordingly.
Propelled in part by Richards' performance, "Wild Things" achieves a gonzo, amusement park charm that switches into high gear after the 20-minute set-up is over with and never relents. The film is so unabashedly manipulative that it runs the risk of making its audience so aware of the forced unpredictability that things become, well, predictable.
Fortunately, many of the plot twists and turns are genuinely surprising, and after the film officially ends, brief scenes are mixed in with the closing credits that help explain how some of the shockers came to be. It is a clever touch and a perfect ending to a film that is frequently, but not always, as wild and thrilling as its title suggests.
