“That’s what I am to you, isn’t it? Swamp trash, just like my mom.”
We’ve all heard stories about Florida Man. Maybe he lost a wrestling match with an alligator, dropped his keys into a pit of snakes, or fell into a flaming dumpster as it floated off to sea. Whatever the case, this southern miscreant has a reputation for spectacularly trashy and ill-advised behavior. And it seems we can’t get enough. But decades before the world regaled the misadventures of Florida Man, John McNaughton gave us Wild Things, a sleazy, sun-baked noir about a troublesome Florida polycule. This salacious film not only features steamy performances from Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon – each playing their own delightful versions of a proto-Florida Man – but two sexy lady killers who set the screen on fire with their seductive scheming and in-your-face sexuality.
Sam Lombardo (Dillon) is a dreamy...
We’ve all heard stories about Florida Man. Maybe he lost a wrestling match with an alligator, dropped his keys into a pit of snakes, or fell into a flaming dumpster as it floated off to sea. Whatever the case, this southern miscreant has a reputation for spectacularly trashy and ill-advised behavior. And it seems we can’t get enough. But decades before the world regaled the misadventures of Florida Man, John McNaughton gave us Wild Things, a sleazy, sun-baked noir about a troublesome Florida polycule. This salacious film not only features steamy performances from Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon – each playing their own delightful versions of a proto-Florida Man – but two sexy lady killers who set the screen on fire with their seductive scheming and in-your-face sexuality.
Sam Lombardo (Dillon) is a dreamy...
- 7/26/2024
- by Jenn Adams
- bloody-disgusting.com
Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards, Neve Campbell and Matt Dillon elevated this underrated neo-noir beyond bargain-bin titillation
In Wild Things, John McNaughton’s gloriously underrated 1998 thriller, Florida has never felt seedier. The idyllic, upscale Miami suburb of Blue Bay is rocked when high school guidance counsellor Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) is accused of rape by two of his students: the wealthy teen socialite Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards) and the poorer, more socially outcast Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell).
On the stand at the much-publicised trial, however, the girls quickly break under cross-examination and reveal that the allegations were falsely concocted to exact revenge on Sam for a series of perceived wrongdoings. When the beleaguered teacher is awarded an $8.5m defamation payout, police sergeant Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon) suspects that something is amiss and, against the orders of his superiors, sets out to uncover whether or not the trio were colluding from the start.
In Wild Things, John McNaughton’s gloriously underrated 1998 thriller, Florida has never felt seedier. The idyllic, upscale Miami suburb of Blue Bay is rocked when high school guidance counsellor Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) is accused of rape by two of his students: the wealthy teen socialite Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards) and the poorer, more socially outcast Suzie Toller (Neve Campbell).
On the stand at the much-publicised trial, however, the girls quickly break under cross-examination and reveal that the allegations were falsely concocted to exact revenge on Sam for a series of perceived wrongdoings. When the beleaguered teacher is awarded an $8.5m defamation payout, police sergeant Ray Duquette (Kevin Bacon) suspects that something is amiss and, against the orders of his superiors, sets out to uncover whether or not the trio were colluding from the start.
- 1/9/2024
- by Kevin Bui
- The Guardian - Film News
“People aren’t always what they appear to be. Don’t forget that.”
Denise Richards and Matt Dillon Get Wild in Wild Things (1998) will be available on 4K Ultra HD May 24th from Arrow Video
A spoiled rich kid, a troubled teen from the wrong side of the tracks, a carefree playboy and a dogged detective find themselves all caught up in the sex crime of the century in this steamy star-studded crime thriller from the director of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
Popular and charming, student counsellor Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) is no stranger to being the focus of female attention within the moneyed cliques of Florida’s Blue Bay. His fortunes are about to change dramatically, however, when one of the wealthiest students at his high school, sultry siren Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards), accuses him of rape. The charge looks sure to stick when another girl...
Denise Richards and Matt Dillon Get Wild in Wild Things (1998) will be available on 4K Ultra HD May 24th from Arrow Video
A spoiled rich kid, a troubled teen from the wrong side of the tracks, a carefree playboy and a dogged detective find themselves all caught up in the sex crime of the century in this steamy star-studded crime thriller from the director of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
Popular and charming, student counsellor Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) is no stranger to being the focus of female attention within the moneyed cliques of Florida’s Blue Bay. His fortunes are about to change dramatically, however, when one of the wealthiest students at his high school, sultry siren Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards), accuses him of rape. The charge looks sure to stick when another girl...
- 4/5/2022
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Film review: 'Wild Things'
"Wild Things" is swamp soap, slippery and sexy, and it's likely to clean up with a sizable section of young viewers. A steamy, campy thriller starring Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon and Neve Campbell and pulsating with a seductive performance from relative newcomer Denise Richards, this Sony release should win the approval of all who prefer dramas to resemble wet T-shirt contests.
As Boca Raton literally means "bay of the rats," this Blue Bay, Fla.-set boiler may be figuratively dubbed "bay of the vamps." With its story docked in this tony, upper-crust enclave, the narrative gyrates around the kind of rich decadence one usually associates with West Palm Beach, with bored blondes taking trumpets to bed.
In this sizzling scenario, the bored blonde is Sandra Van Ryan (Theresa Russell), a sultry sexpot whose husband has done himself in and whose precocious daughter Kelly Richards) is on the prowl for a daddy figure. Kelly has her coquettish eye on her rock-solid high-school guidance counselor, Sam Lombardo (Dillon), who has a reputation for womanizing.
Outfitted in the hottest topical storywear, sexual harassment, "Wild Things" is a juicy plot teaser, heaving its way through enough twists and reversals to fill six seasons of a TV soap. Its characters are a combustible lot, including Campbell as Suzie, a drug-addled trasher who also looks to the good guidance counselor for advice. Screenwriter Stephen Peters has also steamed it up with some standard staples of the genre, caste/class rivalry and wicked anti-establishment slants that will appeal to viewers of all shapes and forms.
Admittedly, Peters pops "Wild Things" over the top with swamp camp, dicing it with straight-faced nonsense that is a satire of the genre itself. Similarly, director John McNaughton's grip is a bawdy mix of suspense, sex and silliness, all served up with a huge tongue sticking in his cheek.
It's a foamy mix, topped off by highly charged performances. As the beleaguered bedder, Dillon is well-cast as the authority figure from the wrong side of the tracks who is at once powerful and powerless in this decadent little world. Bacon is similarly well chosen to play a driven lawman who finds his wings clipped by the local power authorities, while Campbell strings out a complex performance as a cunning druggie. It's Richards, however, whose sizzle makes things boil. As the sultry, rich bitch, she's deliciously deadly.
Supporting performances are high-camp hilarious. As a sleazy, ambulance-chasing lawyer, Bill Murray is at his insincere, cerebral best, while Russell is the crunchiest snapper in this amoral swamp. Give the best parking spot at the club to Robert Wagner, who as a starchy power-lawyer does a sly number on his professional persona.
Technical contributions are fittingly slick and murky, beginning with cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball's torrid colors and fractured compositions.
WILD THINGS
Sony Releasing
Columbia Pictures, Mandalay Entertainment
Producers: Rodney Liber, Steven A. Jones
Director: John McNaughton
Screenwriter: Stephen Peters
Executive producer: Kevin Bacon
Directory of photography: Jeffrey Kimball
Executive music producer: Budd Carr
Music: George Clinton
Production designer: Edward McAvoy
Editor: Elena Maganini
Costume designer: Kimberly Tillman
Casting: Linda Lowry, John Brace
Sound mixer: Peter Devlin
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ray Duquette: Kevin Bacon
Sam Lombardo: Matt Dillon
Suzie Toller: Neve Campbell
Sandra Van Ryan: Theresa Russell
Kelly Van Ryan: Denise Richards
Gloria Perez: Daphne Rubin-Vega
Tom Baxter: Robert Wagner
Ken Bowden: Bill Murray
Ruby: Carrie Snodgress
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
As Boca Raton literally means "bay of the rats," this Blue Bay, Fla.-set boiler may be figuratively dubbed "bay of the vamps." With its story docked in this tony, upper-crust enclave, the narrative gyrates around the kind of rich decadence one usually associates with West Palm Beach, with bored blondes taking trumpets to bed.
In this sizzling scenario, the bored blonde is Sandra Van Ryan (Theresa Russell), a sultry sexpot whose husband has done himself in and whose precocious daughter Kelly Richards) is on the prowl for a daddy figure. Kelly has her coquettish eye on her rock-solid high-school guidance counselor, Sam Lombardo (Dillon), who has a reputation for womanizing.
Outfitted in the hottest topical storywear, sexual harassment, "Wild Things" is a juicy plot teaser, heaving its way through enough twists and reversals to fill six seasons of a TV soap. Its characters are a combustible lot, including Campbell as Suzie, a drug-addled trasher who also looks to the good guidance counselor for advice. Screenwriter Stephen Peters has also steamed it up with some standard staples of the genre, caste/class rivalry and wicked anti-establishment slants that will appeal to viewers of all shapes and forms.
Admittedly, Peters pops "Wild Things" over the top with swamp camp, dicing it with straight-faced nonsense that is a satire of the genre itself. Similarly, director John McNaughton's grip is a bawdy mix of suspense, sex and silliness, all served up with a huge tongue sticking in his cheek.
It's a foamy mix, topped off by highly charged performances. As the beleaguered bedder, Dillon is well-cast as the authority figure from the wrong side of the tracks who is at once powerful and powerless in this decadent little world. Bacon is similarly well chosen to play a driven lawman who finds his wings clipped by the local power authorities, while Campbell strings out a complex performance as a cunning druggie. It's Richards, however, whose sizzle makes things boil. As the sultry, rich bitch, she's deliciously deadly.
Supporting performances are high-camp hilarious. As a sleazy, ambulance-chasing lawyer, Bill Murray is at his insincere, cerebral best, while Russell is the crunchiest snapper in this amoral swamp. Give the best parking spot at the club to Robert Wagner, who as a starchy power-lawyer does a sly number on his professional persona.
Technical contributions are fittingly slick and murky, beginning with cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball's torrid colors and fractured compositions.
WILD THINGS
Sony Releasing
Columbia Pictures, Mandalay Entertainment
Producers: Rodney Liber, Steven A. Jones
Director: John McNaughton
Screenwriter: Stephen Peters
Executive producer: Kevin Bacon
Directory of photography: Jeffrey Kimball
Executive music producer: Budd Carr
Music: George Clinton
Production designer: Edward McAvoy
Editor: Elena Maganini
Costume designer: Kimberly Tillman
Casting: Linda Lowry, John Brace
Sound mixer: Peter Devlin
Color/stereo
Cast:
Ray Duquette: Kevin Bacon
Sam Lombardo: Matt Dillon
Suzie Toller: Neve Campbell
Sandra Van Ryan: Theresa Russell
Kelly Van Ryan: Denise Richards
Gloria Perez: Daphne Rubin-Vega
Tom Baxter: Robert Wagner
Ken Bowden: Bill Murray
Ruby: Carrie Snodgress
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 3/18/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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