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Parents' Guide to

Wild Things

By Afsheen Nomai, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Convoluted erotic thriller, not for kids.

Movie R 1998 108 minutes
Wild Things Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Olivlol
Olivlol Adult
May 11, 2020
age 15+

Cult Classic

This movie is famous, mainly for the pool scene but also for many other reasons. There is quite a bit of swearing during the movie. The main problem for many is the sex. Yes this movie has sex, and quite a bit of it too. There is a threesome between a man and two woman who at first kiss each other then kiss the man. Denise Richards' character is quickly stripped to her underwear and her bra is whipped off. For the next minute or so she makes out with the man while the other woman pours wine on her chest. Her large, ball shaped boobs are seen in detail during this scene for the whole time. The other woman strips naked but we only see her back before the scene ends. The famous pool scene begins with the two woman kissing and getting into the pool. The other woman undoes Denise Richards' character's bikini top and throws it away. We briefly see Denise Richard's boobs again. They continue to kiss before she removes the other woman's top, again only seen from the back. After this they continue to make out, all the while being filmed. Denise Richard's boobs are seen a few more times throughout the scene, sometimes brief, other times for an extended period of time. This scene is extremely steamy, hence it's fame. A great movie for adults.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
90210fan
90210fan Adult
February 1, 2011
age 17+

older teens

Love it good movie for older teens

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

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.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (2 ):

This 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. 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.

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • 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?

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