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Sleezy is as Sleezy Does
by Stephen Wong
I'm not sure if it's possible to classify something as "good sleeze",
but if I could, Wild Things
would be high on that list. Part noir thriller, part sleeze-fest (I take that back, all sleeze-fest),
Wild Things manages to almost level-out the number of gratuitous bikini and bras scenes
with genuinely wicked plot twists. Almost. And considering the vast amounts of blatent sexploitation
running about the film, that's quite an accomplishment. Actually, jokes aside, Wild Things
is one of those rare films that is able to successfully straddle the line between crafty and excessive.
The fun starts in a seemingly innocent little coastal town called Blue Bay. But as you might expect,
nothing is what it seems in Blue Bay. Matt Dillon plays Sam Lombardo, the handsome young hunk of a guidance
counsellor who's just been accused of rape by two of his high school students, from seemingly two ends
of the social spectrum. First there's Kelly, boppy daughter of Sandra Van Ryan (who's the widow of the
richest and most influential man in town). Then comes Suzy Toller (Neve Campbell), a white-trash teen
whose had quite a few run-ins with the law. Kevin Bacon plays the investigator hell-bent on finding out the
whole truth about this scandal unfolding in the swamps of Florida. And the deeper he gets, the more
questions begin to arise about who's playing who in this little town.
Director John McNaughton uses his crafty skills to lure us into this seemingly generic story and generic
characters. I'll be honest, it's very trashy on the surface, and that's why Wild Things is
so genuinely creative. It has a carefree self-awareness of its own
sleeze, yet has enough twists and turns that you can't help but be swept up in the fun. Add to that a terrific performance
by Bill Murray as a small-time defense lawyer (probably his best performance in years), and what you've
got is a wicked little kick of a film. Oh yeah, and don't forget to wait for the credits (even if you
hated the film). It's a nice surprise.
Stephen Wong, 1998
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