Wild Things

Common Sense says
- R
- 1998
- 108 minutes
Parents say
Kids say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
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What parents need to know
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.
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User Reviews
- Parents say
- Kids say
Cult Classic
Great!
Wild Things
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?
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?
Movie details
- In theaters: March 20, 1998
- On DVD or streaming: September 8, 1998
- Cast: Denise Richards, Kevin Bacon, Matt Dillon
- Director: Norman Z. McLeod
- Studio: Sony Pictures
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 108 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: Nudity, sex, violence
- Last updated: September 21, 2019
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