Into the Wild (2007)

After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

Director:

Sean Penn

Writers:

Sean Penn (screenplay), Jon Krakauer (book)

Stars:

Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener

Top 250 #162 | Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 18 wins & 43 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emile Hirsch	...	Chris McCandless
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Billie McCandless
William Hurt	...	Walt McCandless
Jena Malone	...	Carine McCandless / Additional Narrator
Brian H. Dierker	...	Rainey (as Brian Dierker)
Catherine Keener	...	Jan Burres
Vince Vaughn	...	Wayne Westerberg
Kristen Stewart	...	Tracy Tatro
Hal Holbrook	...	Ron Franz
Jim Gallien	...	Himself
James O'Neill	...	Graduation Reader (as James J. O'Neill)
Malinda McCollum	...	Waitress
Paul Knauls	...	Building Manager
Zach Galifianakis	...	Kevin
Craig Mutsch	...	Wayne's Crew #1

Storyline

Based on a true story. After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters who shape his life.

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Plot Keywords:

wilderness | alaska | charity | emory university | river rapids | 

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Taglines:

Into the heart Into the soul

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Danish

Release Date:

21 September 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hacia rutas salvajes

Filming Locations:

Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£196,994 (UK) (9 November 2007)

Gross:

$18,352,454 (USA) (21 March 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Vantage, Art Linson Productions, Into the Wild

Technical Specs

Runtime:

148 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emile Hirsch lost 40 pounds to play his role.

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Goofs

When Alex is walking around at night after visiting the shelter, a parking meter briefly flashes a red light, indicating that time has run out. These types of meters did not exist in 1991.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Christopher McCandless: Mom! Mom! Help me.

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Crazy Credits

The opening title is shown as part of Chris's journal's writings.

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Connections

Referenced in Jeopardy!: The IBM Challenge: Day 3 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Doing the Wrong Thing"
Written & Performed by Kaki King
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Oscar material

I watched this movie on the aeroplane after searching through the movie list and not finding anything else interesting to watch. I didn't even know what the film was called until the ending credits. However, what I saw was amazing - the acting and scenery was excellent and the plot was thought provoking. More people should watch this to appreciate the message to us all. I was also surprised to see it was was actually a true story which made it even more interesting (I love films that are based on true stories). It is one of the best movies i've seen that portrays the contrast between a materialistic world vs the natural world that is at the core of the universe. This is a film that can easily be overlooked but not forgotten.