Murphy Howard
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Rosie Searle
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
christopher-underwood
It is clear this is going somewhere different from the very beginning and we go beyond the usually seen New York from the water into lesser but more interesting stretches. This quirky, off centre viewpoint is continued throughout the film although so much is happening with our main characters in this crazy take on a road movie that it is not always apparent. Constantly confounding one's expectations, this is a very exciting and occasionally worrying film. Jeff Daniels is surprisingly good and gets better as the film progresses, Melanie Griffith is great throughout and the only thing that prevents me giving this a full score and indicating that i would happily sit right down and watch it again straight away is........Ray Liotta. Now, is this guy scary in this or is he not the most scary character ever? Great to look at thanks to wonderful cinematography - street signs, shops fronts, odd buildings, the lot - this also has to be the film with the very best soundtrack in the 80s. Averse though I usually am to the music in films of this period, this has one of the greatest picture/music combinations ever - and that includes the later work of Tarantino, who just has to have been influenced by this gem. A must see but try and prepare yourself for the appearance of Mr Ray Liotta.
witster18
"Something Wild" is a pulpy-weird mess of a fantastic movie. The characters have depth, the dialog is sharp, and the music backing it all is glorious.Melanie Griffith is spot-on as a free-spirited woman who dabbles in petty-crime and men, but also successfully brings heart to the role. Jeff Daniels' physical comedy and innocence make him the perfect match, and what better estranged husband to bring into the mess than Ray Liotta. He was built for parts like this.Reminds me a bit of the directors earlier release, "Married to the Mob", only much better. There's something very serious about this film that really sets it apart. The violence and the threat of violence seems very real, and the characters actions seem extremely realistic, albeit totally wacky.There are many moments that make us read further into the characters and their situations... the trip to LuLu's(Griffith) Mom's house, and the moment when Daniels flees the hotel... these scenes are great because they don't treat the viewer like a 5 yr-old. You can really gather tons of insight into these characters without all of the information being spoonfed to the audience. It's a rather 'smart' film.The other great thing here is the music. It's truly fantastic. A great soundtrack is bolstered by some awesome Reggae/ska/rock selections and some live clips from the "Feelies" who are playing a reunion scene. The "Feelies" stuff is just incredible, and will make you seek out their stuff immediately, and the film incorporates all the music seamlessly and effectively throughout the film.The is one of the best 80's sleepers. It's right there with "After Hours", "Miracle Mile", "Body Double", "Gotcha", "Up the Creek" and "Let it Ride". A truly unique film. Risqué. Genre-bending. Sharp, witty, and thoroughly entertaining. I refuse to throw this the rom-com genre simply because the film is too good to be generalized like that.Highly recommended. 80/100You'll like this if you liked: Married to the Mob(not as good), After Hours(better), Gotcha(not quite as good) or Miracle Mile(close, very close, perhaps a touch better)Having Melanie Griffith running around naked the whole movie doesn't hurt, but even on that note there's a weird realistic edge to all the sexuality in the film. It's unbelievably sexy without being dirty, cliché', or overdone.So glad I revisited this little gem, and very happy to own it.I can see how some may not care for it's seedy characters, but that's life man... definitely don't see how anyone should dismiss it or hate it for that reason.
asc85
After seeing this movie on my VCR after it came out, I'm not surprised this film failed to find its movie-going audience. It's simply a very difficult movie to classify, which is why I liked it so much, and why I applaud what Demme did in this film. It starts out as a screwball comedy, with very hip and funny lines. But once the Ray Liotta character is introduced, it becomes very dark, chilling, and scary. How many films have EVER been successfully made like this? Not very many. I always found "Heathers" to be somewhat similar to "Something Wild" in this regard, but "Heathers" is not as good as this one.The characters in "Something Wild" are extremely well-written, especially Jeff Daniels, who likes to call people by the name on their name tags. Melanie Griffith is both sexy and hilarious, and Ray Liotta is scary! All in all, if you haven't seen this movie, it's worth watching although it is also a shock to the system.
Michael Neumann
Impulsive nymphomaniac Melanie Griffith offers dull financial adviser Jeff Daniels a ride in her sports car, and then proceeds to initiate him into a thrilling underworld of sex and comic deception. Off-the-wall formulas were in at the time, and for its first 45-minutes or so this fairly representative slice of mid-1980s non-conformity suggests (with tongue in cheek) that crime and vice are legitimate cures for boredom. The fun and games begin with barely any time wasted on setting up the characters, and having thus lulled the audience into a false sense of security the film becomes suddenly every yuppie's worst nightmare, when Griffith's psychotic escaped convict husband (Ray Liotta) suddenly appears. The gradual shift in tone from humor to unease to headlong terror is terribly manipulative but highly effective, and the film actually improves as it grows more lethal. The hip, up-to-the-minute (circa 1986) soundtrack was compiled by John Cale and Laurie Anderson.
