Wild

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Wild

R

2014

1h 55m

Biography

Drama

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

274 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Driven to the edge by the loss of her beloved mother (Laura Dern), the dissolution of her marriage and a headlong dive into self-destructive behavior, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) makes a decision to halt her downward spiral and put her life back together again. With no outdoors experience, a heavy backpack and little else to go on but her own will, Cheryl sets out alone to hike the Pacific Crest Trail -- one of the country's longest and toughest through-trails.

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Critics Consensus

Powerfully moving and emotionally resonant, Wild finds director Jean-Marc Vallée and star Reese Witherspoon working at the peak of their respective powers.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 1, 2017

C+

But despite its unclear message, there is a certain charm to Wild that smooths away its thorny exterior to reveal a broken character...

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Jun 7, 2016

For all of the trouble 'Wild' takes to get into Strayed's head, you'd think they might've drafted filmmakers with a little bit more experience living in a place like that.

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David Sims

The Atlantic

Oct 14, 2015

It captures an emotional memoir without making it feel like a didactic tale of triumph over adversity.

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Nov 16, 2024

While there is a conventional backbone to the story, it keeps us rooted in the experience of a single woman taking on a challenge that some veteran hikers fail to complete, never forgetting the vulnerability of doing it alone.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Jul 13, 2022

3/4

Witherspoon's performance is outstanding.

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Q.V. Hough

Vague Visages

Jun 27, 2022

Reese Witherspoon gives an Oscar-worthy performance in Wild, and the cinematography is beautiful, however Vallée’s tight direction prevents the film from becoming a “connect the dots” of emotion and redemption.

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keven Q

@kevenquinlan Oct 25, 2026

Great Acting, Great Story. Love Seeing Reese in Anything, keep it up America's Sweetheart.

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Frans B

@FransB Sep 15, 2026

Jean-Marc Vallée directed this very well. Reese Witherspoon shines convincingly in character. Great storytelling and account of true events, albeit heavily dramatized. Good cinematography adds depth and ambiance. Life lessons to be learned here, lots of them.

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Huntin P

@PaxVobiscum80 Sep 14, 2026

Wild, adapted by Nick Hornby from the travel memoir by Cheryl Strayed, is the movie The Way (2010) could have been, if Emilio had been more imaginative. It works where the earlier movie didn't because it takes us inside its protagonist's head, into her memories (an abundance of flashbacks), for what are such journeys into the wild if not opportunities to get in touch with ourselves. It is also a far more demanding trek, the PCT, replete with wild camping, severe weather, creatures and weirdos, and the oppressive weight of past transgressions, not to mention a monster backpack. Any movie that takes El condor pasa as its anthem has got to be pretty great. Look out for Cheryl's cameo at the beginning.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 14, 2026

Wild = a *4* star Movie!

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Mario R

@MarioRedpill Aug 16, 2026

Terrible movie and so boring. She jumps from man to man and then spirals into drugs as well. Really awful and a complete waste of time.

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Mate P

@matepolcz Jul 12, 2026

Wild is a good film, but I didn't feel connected to it. That's probably because I'm too young to do so. The characters are well-written, the story is good, but predictable except for the little things. The people she meets during the journey was tricky. I always fell for the directing. The cinematography and editing are good, but not exceptional. The cast is fitting and the performances are strong, especially Reese Witherspoon.

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Jean-Marc Vallée

Director

Reese Witherspoon

Cheryl Strayed

Laura Dern

Bobbi

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Paul

Michiel Huisman

Jonathan

Gaby Hoffmann

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Synopsis

Driven to the edge by the loss of her beloved mother (Laura Dern), the dissolution of her marriage and a headlong dive into self-destructive behavior, Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) makes a decision to halt her downward spiral and put her life back together again. With no outdoors experience, a heavy backpack and little else to go on but her own will, Cheryl sets out alone to hike the Pacific Crest Trail -- one of the country's longest and toughest through-trails.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Producer: Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea, Bill Pohlad
Screenwriter: Nick Hornby
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Pacific Standard
Rating: R (Language|Drug Use|Nudity|Sexual Content)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 3, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 4, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $37.7M
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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