In Review......Into the Wild - 2007

My friends are now beginning to roll their eyes when I bring this movie up because I won't stop until they watch it. I don't approach anyone that I think won't "get it" they way I did. I've seen it several times, and now want the soundtrack. I remember watching the previews before it was released thinking, "Magic Bus?! what kind of hippy hell is this?" *please note I have nothing against hippies. But it didnt grab me enough to run to the theatre to see it, I'm sure I was doing something really important at the time, like getting fresh highlights or working on that novel....*cough*. Fast forward to 2009. A good friend told me this was one of his favorite movies. Coming from him it was all I needed to hear,I rented it that weekend.
Can you say, oh my God. I got it. Immediately. I knew exactly what Chris McCandless believed in. This movie is based on a true story: 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.
Sound insane? Well. Maybe it does. Am I going to empty my bank account and go attempt to live in the wild? No. I can't do that. I have responsibilities. Oh but the underlying message, I understand it.
I'm a lover of words, and movie quotes. This doesn't make me an expert, meaning, I can't quote every movie ever made. But if I loved the movie, and especially if I own it, I can quote from it all day long. Much to my friends chagrin mind you. My sisters (I have two) and I can hold an entire conversation in movie quotes. This scares people that have just come on to the scene of our family if they haven't been warned in advance. *consider yourself warned, and welcome to my family.
Into the Wild is fraught with quotes, if I used them for status updates in social media I would have material for months. From Chris paraphrasing Thoreau to using his own verbiage, they are endless. A few made me think oh man, you're hitting too close to home here dude.
"Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past." CM
If you fit inside that one, please give yourself a chance.
"I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong." CM
I loved that one. Even if you can't benchpress 200 pounds, feel strong. You can make this physical or mental or both even. Lance Armstrong says Livestrong, right?

I think Chris's quest began with the idea that he needed to get away from "society", he didn't need it, nor did he need people, or money, to make happiness for himself.
I know this because he said, "You don't need human relationships to be happy, God has placed it all around us."
Thats a novel idea and one I can buy into, partially. If we could just slow down a little and enjoy the small things, nature, that gorgeous blue sky, the smell of rain, ocean waves crashing on the shore. Those things don't cost anything.
"The freedom and simple beauty is too good to pass up..." CM See what I mean? I could write pages of things he says.

I don't want to ruin this movie experience for you in case you haven't seen the movie, so I'm trying to discuss without spilling the entire content, especially the ending.
But I will say, that Chris learns, "Happiness only real when shared." CM... I know that sentence is missing a word, "is" between happiness and only, but he penciled this in a notebook, I want to write it as he wrote it.

Alexander Supertramp, I hear you. And I get it.

Rent.the.movie.
Then let me know what you think.

Until next time,
Tiffany

P.S. Do you like yogurt? its on Tiffany's menu, for breakfast, just wondering....

**special mention, Eddie Vedder, responsible for most of the soundtrack