Wild Things

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Wild Things

R

1998

1h 47m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

120 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

When teen debutante Kelly (Denise Richards) fails to attract the attention of her hunky guidance counselor, Sam (Matt Dillon), she cries rape, igniting a scandal that results in his arrest. Sam appeals to Ken (Bill Murray), a hack personal-injury lawyer who has never handled a case that couldn't be helped by a prop neck brace. Soon, a second victim, Suzie (Neve Campbell), comes forward, and Detective Duquette (Kevin Bacon) discovers that the unfolding case is far from what it seems.

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Critics Consensus

Wild Things is a delightfully salacious, flesh-exposed romp that also requires a high degree of love for trash cinema.

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Stephanie Zacharek

TIME Magazine

08/01/2024

...steamy, tawdry, gloriously over-the-top...

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

06/09/2023

McNaughton and cinematographer Jeffrey L. Kimball frequently cut to glimpses of alligators lurking in the Florida swamps, echoing the predatory nature of virtually every main character.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

02/02/2023

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.

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Nicholas Bell

Fish Jelly Films (YouTube)

07/27/2023

3.5/5

A potboiler on class woes, Wild Things is the dark fruit at the end of a neo-noir era in the 1990s, where softcore sensibilities were an acceptable selling point and adult themes embraced.

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Noah Berlatsky

Splice Today

03/28/2023

Older noirs often present that failure of hierarchy as a crisis. But in Wild Things, it’s exhilarating.

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Trace Thurman

Bloody Disgusting

03/21/2023

4.5/5

Lurid, trashy, and shockingly intelligent, Wild Things will surprise you like few films can.

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Jeepers C

@RT12312147 Feb 21

When I first seen this movie in my youth, I was only watching it to see Denise Richard's steamy scenes, but the story was clever and filled with twists. It holds up well and is still a enjoyable guilty pleasure.

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Will G

@Kingofthepixies Jan 4

Trivia. Matt dillon was always first on set. Every day.

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 4

It wasn't as inappropriate as I thought it was gonna be. There were a lot of twists, and I didn't understand a lot of them. I'm glad I have this one under by belt.

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MariofanAlex445 T

@RT47678067 Jul 16

I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, and also all the girls were very attractive. 4/5 stars.

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Dennui S

@dennui Jun 3

I didn't expect much, but it's not bad noir, a bit campy.

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Jamie W

@RT34019152 Apr 1

Wild Things has always been known for its saucy scenes but when you watch it for more that that in my later life I found a funny, interesting, well acted movie with a great cast, score and even a hint of great cinematography across the Florida glades.

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John McNaughton

Director

Kevin Bacon

Sgt. Ray Duquette

Matt Dillon

Sam Lombardo

Neve Campbell

Suzie Marie Toller

Theresa Russell

Sandra Van Ryan

Denise Richards

Kelly Lanier Van Ryan

Wild Things: Official Clip - Good Guess!

2:12

Wild Things: Official Clip - First Rule of Sailing

2:11

Wild Things: Official Clip - Three's a Crowd

2:13

Wild Things: Official Clip - Discussing the Case

1:46

Wild Things: Official Clip - I Was Raped

1:19

Wild Things: Official Clip - Seducing Lombardo

2:05

Wild Things: Official Clip - The Pool Scene

1:59

Wild Things: Official Clip - Peeping in People's Windows

2:12

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Synopsis

When teen debutante Kelly (Denise Richards) fails to attract the attention of her hunky guidance counselor, Sam (Matt Dillon), she cries rape, igniting a scandal that results in his arrest. Sam appeals to Ken (Bill Murray), a hack personal-injury lawyer who has never handled a case that couldn't be helped by a prop neck brace. Soon, a second victim, Suzie (Neve Campbell), comes forward, and Detective Duquette (Kevin Bacon) discovers that the unfolding case is far from what it seems.

Director: John McNaughton
Producer: Steven A. Jones, Rodney Liber
Screenwriter: Stephen Peters
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Mandalay Pictures
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Some Violence|Strong Sexuality)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 20, 1998, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $29.8M
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, Surround, Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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