Jonathan Demme’s “Something Wild” (1986), his awesomely unpredictable comedy, was a professional turning point.
After his “Swing Shift” (1983) got away from him and was altered without his input, Demme made one of the all-time great rock and roll documentaries, The Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” (1984).
Then came “Something Wild,” which was promoted as something of a sex farce in the promotional materials. I still remember my video store showcasing the cardboard likeness of the poster, complete with cardboard handcuffs dangling over the title.
Speaking of The Talking Heads, “Something Wild” begins with this beauty of a song lyric (performing “Loco de “Amor” with Celia Cruz): “Like a pizza in the rain, nobody wants to take you home.”
We meet Jeff Daniels as Charles, a suit-and-tie office drone who slips out of a diner and avoids the paycheck he left on the table. Unfortunately for Charles, he was spotted by another patron, Lulu (Melanie Griffith), who confronts him in a manner both flirtatious and accusatory.
Lulu recognizes Charles as a “closet rebel.” They take off in her car for an afternoon affair, which includes sex, an incriminating phone call and, yes, handcuffs.
From there, it gets even crazier – rather than turning “Something Wild” into an erotic drama, the story literally heads in the direction of a high school reunion, a sit-down home-cooked dinner with Mom and a chance meeting with Lulu’s ex-boyfriend (Ray Liotta).
Good luck predicting what’s going to happen on a scene-to-scene basis.
The freedom in Griffith’s character is matched with E. Max Frye’s screenplay. You’ll constantly ask yourself, where-is-this-going and never be able to get ahead of the story.
Liotta, in a sensational film debut, is funny and scary in equal measure. What an amazing first film. It’s worth noting that, while Liotta, who we lost in 2022, will forever be celebrated for playing Henry Hill in “Goodfellas” (1990), his body of work includes “Field of Dreams” (1989), “Cop Land” (1997), “Narc” (2003) and this film.
In addition to sporting one of the best soundtracks of its decade, Tak Fujimoto’s fantastic cinematography and Craig McKay’s crisp editing, the three leads and Demme’s direction are all award worthy.
Why didn’t “Something Wild,” “Mona Lisa,” “Blue Velvet” and “The Mission” get Best Picture Oscar nominations? I have no clue. I digress.
In the end, the characters grow up, basically, but still reject the expectations the world puts on them, a good message. Likewise, the film itself is a gem from Demme, who followed it up with another nutty, brilliant farce, 1988’s “Married to the Mob” before his legacy was tethered to “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991).
There’s much to love in Demme’s films, which include “Philadelphia” (1993) and “Rachel Getting Married” (2004), though none of those feature Daniels doing his rubber man dance to The Feelies during Lulu’s 1976 high school reunion.