The Wild Life

Seen by some as a spiritual sequel to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Wild Life is an easygoing coming-of-age comedy. The film focuses on Bill (Eric Stoltz), Bill's younger brother Jim (Ilan Mitchell-Smith), Bill's ex-girlfriend Anita (Lea Thompson), Anita's friend Eileen (Jenny Wright) and Eileen's party animal boyfriend Tom (Chris Penn). Hoping to make the big leap into adulthood, Bill gets his first apartment. He reluctantly takes Tom on as a roommate to help make ends meet. Anita starts dating a cop, who turns out to be married. Eileen tries, desperately, to get Tom to grow up. And Jim slowly learns that there might be more to life than heavy metal and the Vietnam war. It's a little surprising that The Wild Life never became a big hit, it has a lot going for it. The main characters are backed up by a fantastic supporting cast, including Rick Moranis, Hart Bochner, Randy Quaid and Ben Stein. The score is done Eddie Van Halen, which gives the movie a nice, propulsive energy. While not as universally appealing as Fast Times, The Wild Life is definitely a fascinating slice of life flick.

Rating: 72%

(Image from Wikipedia)