The Wild Life [DVD-R]

Now this is really a special movie... I first saw it while living in LA on cable and I thought it was one of these silly "coming of age" comédies BUT with instrumental music courtesy of the great Edward Van Halen (who at the time was putting his 5150 studio together)... being a guitar player and a fan of his was sure reason enough to watch it. Well, as far as the music is concerned, I certainly was not disappointed for there is more than 40/45 minutes of instrumental stuff played by ED alone (with a drum machine) and some of it is really interesting : some jazz moods he never displayed with Van Halen, little lead parts which are quite reminiscent of Jeff Beck's 80's work, some Keyboard stuff as well... pity this never appeared on vinyl/CD, there was enough substance to release a great solo album (the song they put on the official soundtrack LP doesn't appear throughout the movie and is very average compared to what was actually used !). But the movie itself si quite surprising with an excellent cast who is both believable and at times even moving, and a storyline which is much darker and meaner than you'd expect... for instance, there's a scene in a strip which would normally be funny and voyeuristic and becomes thanks to great acting and wise direction quite disturbing. I am not surprised the movie did not perform at the box office for it's not what people would expect and, when it comes to the end, one feels both blue and confused... it's actually more about losing teenage illusions and "real life" experience hitting you with a vengeance than having fun and getting laid as often as possible... but nevertheless, instrumental music by Van Halen is a joy to listen to and since having a copy (very decent picture quality by the way) is the only way to listen to it, well all you fellow guitarists should order it NOW !!!

It was so awesome that I was finally able to get this movie on dvd! The quality is excellent and I love all the scenes Ilan Mitchell-Smith was in. This was his best role by far...way better than the nerd he played in Weird Science. The rest of the movie was ok at best...not particularly funny or interesting. For a Fast Times At Ridgemont High sequel it was a disappointment, but Ilan’s scenes make it worth watching.

If you're into a fun 80's movie without having to think about things, this is it! Critics have noted this film was a prequel to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It stars a few of the familiar faces from that era which would end up being Hollywood stars in subsequent movies. Same director as "Sixteen Candles" , the film features all that 80's kids went through back then. Very interesting look into how simple life was before social media, cell phones and kids living their real-life with friends!

This movie wasn't as good as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but it is still entertaining to watch. The highlight of the movie was when Christopher Penn threw a big party in an apartment complex that doesn't allow parties. It is one of your typical young adult movies.

Great 80's teen flick that went under the radar. Good cast and good soundtrack, by Eddie Van Halen. This is a no-frills package and it is just the movie, without any extras. It is a pretty decent transfer and better than the last time I saw it on VHS, but since it is a DVD, not blu-ray, the price should have been closer to $9.99 than $19.99, but still a good purchase.

Some of the original soundtrack songs have been changed. Specifically the stag party scene at Les Girls. The original song was Madonna’s Bunning Up For Your Love. It’s something different on this dvd.

Great movie Very underrated from 1984 technically a sequel to fast times but never claimed to be both were written by Cameron Crowe a Rolling Stone magazine all the original music is in this which makes it even better I loved it hands-down felt like I was back in the theater all over again

This review is for the Universal made-to-order DVD edition of "The Wild Life".The film's picture, though not high-definition, is a big improvement on the VHS edition I got years ago. The picture is in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The film timed out for me in 96:30 and seemed complete. There are no extras at all. When I put the disc in my player, the film just started. When it was done, the DVD stopped, sending the screen went back to the DVD player's default one. One change noticed was in the music credits. My VHS shows eleven song credits. The DVD shows the same eleven with eight additional ones. There was a note that the original soundtrack was available elsewhere.The film itself is a series of lightly linked stories filmed in greater Los Angeles. Party boy Tom Drake (Chris Penn) has a summer job in a bowling alley working with studious high school graduate pal Bill Conrad (Eric Stolz). Tom wants Eileen (Jenny Wright), who works the summer as a clothing salesperson for Harry (Rick Moranis), but wants more than Tom. Bill has just broken up with Anita (Lea Thompson) but is still alarmed to learn that she may have a new boyfriend, David (Hart Bochner), who turns out to be a police patrolman. Bill also plans to move out of his home to a glamorous apartment and live "the wild life". Bill's younger brother, Jim (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) obsesses over the Vietnam War and finds ways to reenact various aspects of that war vicariously. He has a doting pal, Tony (Brin Berliner), and a possible veteran hero, Charlie (Randy Quaid), who has maybe too many problems for Jim to feel comfortable with. The various stories all have happy-enough resolutions. The acting was solid.The film is rated "R". There are no language issues. Only one person has an explicit drinking or drug problem. There are a few fist fights. There are a couple of explosions damaging property. There are various forms of bad, risk-seeking behavior, including wild parties and adultery. Probably the key to the rating is the amount of skin shown. We get Jim, Eileen, Bill, Tom, two female strippers, and a number of party people of both sexes giving the traditional T&A shots.It's all good fun, without any particular insights.

This item was a DVD-R but I am not complaining. Plays fine in my PS4.CLASSIC movie with some memorable actors from the 80s. There is a version of this movie floating around online that has removed some of the original soundtrack songs. This version is the ORIGINAL! Love it!

It was great.

Prosaically filmed, The Wild Life isn't particularly wild but is worth a look if you are curious to see the results of an early script by Cameron Crowe, probably written when he was 24/25. You can also see the back of his head as one of the cops in a diner, and his former wife Nancy Wilson as another cop's wife.Remember those urban myths about microwaving poodles? Want to see some 1980s hair? This might be the film for you. But if you want to see a film that really captures what it was like to be just out of school in America then skip this and get Richard Linklater's superb  Dazed and Confused  set in 1976.Several characters in The Wild Life appear drawn from real life (including his videocam bearing mother). The little "Don't call it Nam, it's Vietnam" kid is very funny, especially his squeaky voice and he's the main reason to watch this film. There is also a cameo appearance from a turkey-chomping, Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood who takes the meaning of party crasher to a whole new level.This film is not available on DVD because Eddie van Halen, who provides some of the soundtrack, won't allow the rights to be transferred to DVD. Yet here it is on a DVD overdubbed in Spanish but with the original English soundtrack also intact. Picture quality is as you would expect with a straight copy from VHS Dazed and Confused

Seen this when I was a kid and thought it was great so I decided to buy it and I still think it's very funny. Hard to go wrong with a Chris Penn movie.

excellent quality, great shipping time.