Stars: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, Ray Liotta, Byron Keith Minns, John Sayles, John Waters, The Feelies

Director: Jonathan Demme

Summary: A comedy thriller which revolves around a conservative yuppie tax consultant who gets sucked into a series of wild adventures with a sexy and unpredictable girl named Lulu.

Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels star in this quirky road movie from director Jonathan Demme (MARRIED TO THE MOB, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS). Charlie Driggs (Daniels) is a timid New York investment broker who lets himself be abducted during his lunch hour by an attractive nut named Lulu (Griffith). While drunk, she drives him to a New Jersey hotel for some kinky sex and petty thievery, and later convinces him to accompany her to Pennsylvania and pose as her husband at her high school reunion. More misadventures ensue, and Charlie gradually finds himself loosening up and falling in love, but then the film makes a sudden left turn with the appearance of Ray (Ray Liotta), Lulu's real husband--a violent ex-convict. As the film's tone oscillates from lightheartedness to darkness, Demme's affection for his characters never wavers, and he keeps things moving with a jubilant soundtrack of global music and a roster of cameo appearances that include directors John Waters and John Sayles, and musicians the Feelies and Sister Carol. It's a comedy, it's a drama, it's a look at the pleasures and dangers of stepping outside the norm, in life and in film.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

That Jonathan Demme's Something Wildis compelling from first to last is down to the chemistry between Melanie Griffith (Lulu) and Jeff Daniels (Charlie). She's bad, trashy and into handcuffed sex with strangers in motel rooms: she even manages to look sexy in a black bobbed wig. He's Mr Ordinary, with suit and steady job and--apparently--a wife and kids. Lulu has him mesmerised from the very start, as she offers him a lift back to the office but instead drives to Pennsylvania for her high-school reunion, stealing from garages along the way. Passing Charlie off as her husband, they run into problems when she meets her real one--the greasy, violent Ray, recently out of jail (Liotta, superb here)--and Charlie bumps into a guy from his office. Ray is not about to give up Lulu and pursues the couple relentlessly back to New York, the chase culminating, inevitably, in violence. It's a most unlikely love story, but as Charlie discovers he's less of a grey man than we all first thought, and a softer side of Lulu is revealed, it seems possible that we could be looking at a happy ending. This is a film that seems as fresh today as when it first appeared and remains one of Demme's finest achievements.

On the DVD:Something Wildis a pretty basic DVD package. There are no extras beyond the bog-standard trailer and scene-selection options. The picture quality itself is fine, though it's not as pristine as you'd find with more recent films. The spoken languages and subtitles are restricted to English and Spanish. --Harriet Smith

Aspect Ratio:	1.85 Wide Screen, 16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Original Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menu, Chapter Selection
Subtitles:	Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Portuguese
Year:	1986
Release Date:	January 6, 2003
Runtime:	108 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	23170 D V D
Keywords:	Wild, Something, Comedy, General
Genre:	Comedy