| ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. | |
| OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. | |
| NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Parents need to know that this movie is an erotic thriller with a convoluted plot and lots of sex. Teenagers wear skimpy clothes, perform treacherous acts and accuse a teacher of rape. It just isn't for kids.
Two high school girls, Suzie (Neve Campbell) and Kelly (Denise Richards), accuse their high school counselor (Matt Dillon) of raping them. This turns out to be a part of a big scheme to bilk Kelly's rich mom out of money, but the twists don't stop there. Kevin Bacon also stars in WILD THINGS as the police sergeant investigating the trio.
Some reviews called this movie lurid, others, simply settled for trashy. But the long and short of it is that this is a movie about high school students in as little clothing as possible doing very bad things. The film employs every possible exploitation cliché: Girls in slow motion (washing cars even), crooked cops, oversexed high school girls, bad acting, terrible dialogue, repeated shots of wild animals ("wild things," get it), plot twist after plot twist, a catfight that turns into girl on girl action, this film has it all.
Richards, while pretty, can't act her way out of a paper bag, which is unfortunate. But she didn't land this role for her acting ability. Otherwise notable actors such as Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon and Theresa Russell give wooden performances that make you question if they are actually good actors. The only saving grace of this film is Bill Murray playing in his usual dead pan style that always makes us laugh, even when it isn't a comedy. Plain and simple, this is NOT appropriate for kids.
Families can talk about the actions of the two girls in the film who lie about being raped by their high school counselor. What are some of the potential ramifications of reporting a false crime?
| Studio: | Sony Pictures |
| Director: | Norman Z. McLeod |
| Cast: | Denise Richards, Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 108 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | March 20, 1998 |
| DVD release date: | September 8, 1998 |
| MPAA rating: | R |
| MPAA explanation: | Nudity, sex, violence |