Reckless and Wild (2002)

Good Fun

Paget Brewster, (The Specials/Criminal Minds), hits all the notes. This DVD is a little INDIE that is pure Hollyweird. I wonder why it kinda got buried? The groove is good fun, and I know people who are as nuts as this cast! Christine Taylor (Dodgeball) is cute and the perfect friend. See this one ... SUPPORT THE INDIE! January 18, 2007

Not Exactly Reckless + Wild

The title and the poster for this movie make it look like a teenage boy's dream come true. Actually, it's more of a movie for the ladies.

Christine Taylor plays Lili, from San Francisco, who comes to Los Angeles to visit her friend Frances, played by Paget Brewster. In case you are wondering who these two are, Taylor was also in Zoolander and Brewster was in Now You Know. Taylor is the more naive and straight-laced of the two; Brewster plays a Hollywood wanna-be starlet who hasn't advanced beyond extras on a film set. The occasion for their reunion is a wedding party, but Brewster (Frances) is so hapless that she has lost the address of the party. The movie follows them through an evening as they careen from party to party. Lili's real motivation for coming to L.A. is to meet a man that she encountered abroad, and thinks she is in love with. This movie is a comedy, though it's a little short on laughs. It seems to have sunk straight to DVD with hardly a trace, probably because it didn't define a target audience very well. It does manage to deliver some biting satire on the L.A./Hollywood "sophisticated" scene, but you probably have to be an insider to really appreciate it.

It's rated R, but it's a very mild R, probably due to language and references to drug use that went a little too far for PG-13. Don't watch this movie expecting nudity or violence.

Claudia Schiffer plays a singer/actress who keeps cropping up throughout the movie. Though her scenes are short, she manages to completely steal them from Taylor and Brewster. She has a much better presence in front of the camera, and it's not just about her looks.

The opening song, performed on-stage in a nightclub, was a great start to this film. I never heard it before, but it is a great start for a soundtrack.

The movie ends on an upbeat note--though it's a bit hard to say just when it ends, as you keep seeing additional short scenes as the final credits roll.

By the way, Claudia Schiffer was also in Zoolander.

The "bonus" features on this DVD are so skimpy, one has to wonder why they even bothered. I guess it's almost a prerequisite to putting out a DVD to say that it has "bonus features" nowadays.

If you are a fan of one of these 3 actresses, you would probably like the movie. Or if you want to watch a fairly harmless So. Cal romantic comedy, you might give it a try. Just don't expect a movie with a lot of skin, because that's not what it is about.

Karl Weaver July 26, 2005

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