Skip to main content

Something Wild (1986)


Something Wild is a 1986 American action comedy romance film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Melanie Griffith, Jeff Daniels and Ray Liotta. It was screened out of competition at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. The film has some elements of a road movie combined with screwball comedy.

A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-convict husband shows up.

Freddy and Krasnaya Movie Review
***SPOILER ALERT***

K: Hello Freddy, here comes the last day that we dedicate to the insanely talented actor Ray Liotta. "Something Wild", which was Ray Liotta's second movie, concludes our tribute week. So I absolutely loved this movie! This is a wild comedy tinged with crime. Jonathan Demme made a pleasant romantic movie - fabulous and poignant, which also has a frantic rhythm. I had a feeling that it was not the characters of the film who were pulled out of the dullness of everyday life, but me. After the eternal groundhog day, Lulu, full of bracelets and amazing earrings, appears, throws you into the car and takes you into the many-colored world. A world of recklessness that flows to the sounds of reggae, rock and afro-beat music.

F: Hiya Krasnaya! What an 80's hidden gem of a movie! In "Something Wild" we follow Charlie, a business executive and a family man played by goofy-looking Jeff Daniels, who is sort of kidnapped by this crazy girl, Lulu, played by Melanie Griffith, who reminded me of a brunette Cindy Lauper. I was expecting lame and corny stuff from this premise, but I ended up enjoying this romantic-comedy ride a lot. The first part of the movie is exclusively dedicated to our newfound mismatched couple. We get to see Lulu's criminal shenanigans, motel bow-chicka-wow-wow and nice conservative parental meetings. Most of the time, I had a smile on my face seeing these two characters interacting together while they drank and drove to god knows where. They are charming and charismatic and they reminded me of my own carefree and crazy times. Now, I'm a father and I can't do anything truly wild anymore... at least until my daughter is grown up and independent.

Charlie and Lulu gif
I laughed so hard at the way he said that!
K: At first, I thought that Lulu would fool Charles and that a predictable unenviable fate awaited him. But my suspicions failed. And further, I want to say that the plot continues to twist around your finger. The film breathes not only by the plot, but also by the energy of the actors. The trio composed by Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith and Ray Liotta are the bomb! Ray Liotta made me anxious. He is brilliant and perfectly plays all the unpredictability of his character. It's amazing how he manages to radiate so much hidden threat with just a look and a smile. Jeff Daniels perfectly conveys the representative of the office plankton who went into all serious trouble, and Melanie Griffith transforms from a mysterious swindler into the cutest creature, which even cats are thrilled to be around.

F: That's right, after a full day of adventures, we get to the second part of the movie where we are presented with Ray... an ex-convict and the former husband of Lulu. The minute he is introduced, a switch is flipped. The movie changes in tone completely and it's amazing how director Jonathan Demme and writer E. Max Frye pulled this off. It would be so easy to make a boring and predictable plot with a jealous husband who just got out of prison. This wasn't the case at all. When the trio is complete, the chemistry shown between them is spellbinding. Ray Liotta brings in the element of danger and shit just gets REAL. Ray Sinclair is absolutely my favorite character, it gets dark when that guy walks in. 

Rose Leslie Boobie gif
Priceless reaction.
K: Jonathan Demme made a charming movie. As if about love, but rather, about passion and its consequences. I definitely recommend watching it, and I hope that under the credits roll you will want to shake it along with the charming girl that is singing.

F: I was enchanted with that girl singing acapella. Such a raw and beautiful ending. In fact, the music from this movie gets 40 points alone. You can clearly understand that this is also an important part of the movie and that the songs and live music were chosen with care. For me, this is a must-watch movie from the 80's that will always remain fresh. I feel really glad to close our tribute week to Ray Liotta with it. See ya tomorrow for the wrap up.

Melanie Griffith titties gif
Melanie Griffith added to our collection.
Freddy's Score: 88/100
Krasnaya's Score: 89/100

FINAL SCORE

RAY LIOTTA INTERVIEW

THE MAKING OF

Our blog is update everyday at 21:00 (WEST)

Comments

🎬 Join the CineIt Movie Club!

Get exclusive reviews and recommendations delivered straight to your inbox. Never miss a great movie again!

🍿

Support CineIt

Enjoy my rants?
Help keep the popcorn flowing!

Buy Me Some Popcorn

Popular posts from this blog

Sonatine (1993)

Sonatine is a 1993 Japanese yakuza film directed, written and edited by Takeshi Kitano, who also stars in the film. It won numerous awards and became one of Kitano's most successful and praised films, garnering him a sizable international fan base. The title Sonatine comes from the musical term sonatina. Kitano said that when learning the piano, when the learner gets to sonatinas they have to decide where they want to go, whether it is to classical, jazz or popular music; marking the point of crucial decision making. This refers to the character Murakawa in the film. source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_Return Several yakuza from Tokyo are sent to Okinawa to help end a gang war. The war then escalates and the Tokyo drifters decide to lay low at the beach. source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108188/ ***SPOILER ALERT*** K: So, the list of Kitano films we watched continues to grow. This time we had an absolutely amazing picture - Sona...

Kpop Demon Hunters (2025)

Plot Summary: Three talented young K-pop trainees discover they have supernatural abilities to battle ancient demons lurking in modern-day Korea. They must balance their demanding training for a much-anticipated debut with their secret mission to protect the world. Directors: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans Screenplay: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans Producer: Michelle Wong Music: Marcelo Zarvos Starring: Arden Cho as Rumi May Hong as Mira Ji-young Yoo as Zoey Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu Yunjin Kim as Celine Ken Jeong as Bobby Lee Byung-hun as Gwi-Ma   ***SPOILER ALERT*** Peer Pressure & Pleasant Surprises My daughter came home from school the other day looking like she'd been left out of the cool kids' club because she was the only one who hadn't seen Kpop Demon Hunters. I knew right then my Satur...

Gunslingers (2025)

Plot Summary: In 1903 New York, a former gunslinger who has sworn off violence gets pulled back into a world of crime and betrayal when family secrets and old enemies resurface. Director: Brian Skiba Screenplay: Brian Skiba Producers: Randall Batinkoff, Brian Skiba, Laurie Love, Scott Reed Cinematography: Patrice Lucien Cochet Music: Richard Patrick Starring: Nicolas Cage as Ben Stephen Dorff as Thomas Keller Heather Graham as Val Scarlet Rose Stallone as Bella Tzi Ma as Lin Jeremy Kent Jackson as Robert Keller Costas Mandylor as Jericho   ***SPOILER ALERT*** An AI-Generated Mess The first thing that hits you when Gunslingers starts is an AI slop rendition of New York in 1903. Oh boy, I thought, we're off to a great start. The film then throws this bizarre mix at you: amateur-looking shots that seem filmed on a smar...

La Mante (2017)

Plot Summary: Twenty-five years after being imprisoned, Jeanne Deber, a notorious serial killer known as "The Mantis," offers to help the police catch a copycat killer, but only if she can work with her estranged son, who is now a police officer. Director: Alexandre Laurent Writers: Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Nicolas Jean, GrΓ©goire Demaison, Laurent Vivier Music: FranΓ§ois Lietout Starring: Carole Bouquet as Jeanne Deber / The Mantis Fred Testot as Damien Carrot Jaques Weber as Charles Carrot Pascal Demolon as Dominique Feracci Manon Azem as Lucie Carrot Serge Riaboukine as Crozet Robinson Stevenin as Alex Crozet FredΓ©rique Bel as Virginie Delorme Jump to the Plot Explained Section   ***SPOILER ALERT*** A Boring, Wannabe Hannibal Lecter This is officially the first TV series review I'm doing here at Cine It. I'm no...

The Institute (2025)

Plot Summary: Based on Stephen King's novel, The Institute follows Luke Ellis and other kidnapped children with psychic abilities who are held captive in a sinister facility where they're subjected to brutal experiments and torture to harness their powers. Based on: The Institute by Stephen King Developed by: Benjamin Cavell Executive Producers: Jack Bender, Benjamin Cavell, Gary Barber, Sam Sheridan, Shane Elrod, Ed Redlich, Stephen King Episodes: 8 episodes (Season 1) Release Date: July 13, 2025 - August 24, 2025 (MGM+) Starring: Ben Barnes as Tim Jamieson Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis Simone Miller as Kalisha Fionn Laird as Nick Hannah Galway as Wendy Gullickson Julian Richings as Stackhouse Robert Joy as Dr. Daniel Hendricks Martin Roach as Chief Ashworth Mary-Louise Parker as Ms. Sigsby Jason Diaz as Tony Season 1 Ep...

Cinanima Festival - 9th November

My Last Day at Cinanima (With Eva) For my second and, ridiculously, last day (lol) in Espinho for the 49ΒΊ Cinanima Festival, I took my daughter Eva to the Family Screening. This one was called "Mini Micro," a selection of short animations put together by Casa de AnimaΓ§Γ£o, held on November 9th at the Centro Multimeios. I'm gutted that I couldn't stay for the whole week... 😞 I really wanted to see the international and national competition screenings. But for now, I'm just doing my own little competition here at Cine It. πŸ˜› So, here's the full list of the shorts we saw, ranked from my favorite to my least favorite. πŸ“… A Quick Note By the time I'm posting this, the festival is still running (it ends on November 23rd). If you're anywhere near Espinho, make sure you catch it. It's seriously worth the visit. πŸ₯‡ Cine It Gold: Tiger (2010) In first place, no contest, is Tiger (or Tige...