not wild. crazy | Sicker Than Others

Over Christmas vacation I read Into the Wild, and last night we watched the movie.

Dudes. What am I missing? What I saw in this movie was a spoiled asshole of a kid who went on a completely self-absorbed, ill-prepared ‘adventure’ that killed him.

He drops off the face of the earth, abandons his family, his SISTER (who in several scenes folds into his protective embrace), donates 24 grand to Oxfam like that’s some altruistic thing.
“I don’t need money”, he says while chowing down on a plate of free food given to him by his travel mates. “It just makes things complicated”

What kept floating around in my head was “these are rich people’s problems”.

Maybe I’m just old. I feel old saying “wtf, this guy had no respect for life, for the earth, for the forces of nature!” but really that’s how I feel. Sad for his family, and pissed that kids idolize this dumb fuck who went into the Alaskan wilderness with a bag of rice and didn’t even have waterproof shoes or a map.

Girl

Actually, the test Karakaur ordered turned out not to show poisoning. He didn't die from the wild potatoes.

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Allison

I'm with Karla. He didn't die in a foolish way. He ate peanuts tainted with a mold that killed him. He didn't starve to death or freeze. He went on his adventure and he was going to go home and then he died. The book was good. Didn't see the movie.

maureen

I actually haven't read the book or seen the movie because the magazine articles I've read about him gave me the same impression you got from the movie. I guess that's my problem for not delving more into the issue, but I think there are lots of other people who go "into the wild" but we don't hear about them because they don't die in foolish ways. Maybe I should at least read the book...

Karla

I am thrilled to no end that that was my first encounter with Emile. I have heard how shitty he is in other movies...

I couldn't get over the fact that the kid who starred in the movie played a complete douchebag murderous ass in Alpha Dog. The book was good, but I missed the allure of the movie.

Whoa, man. I have about the complete opposite opinion of Chris Mccandless. But I will say that when my friends go off on their no money conquests and then come to my house, sleep in my warm beds and eat my food because they don't have money so they don;t have anything, I am like REALLY? WTF, DUDES? They are missing the picture in my opinion. Chris on the other hand, seemed a hell of a lot more noble.