Something Wild (1986 film)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A strait-laced banker (Daniels) meets a sexy wild child (Griffith) for a series of small adventures. Though he initially protests, he finds that her free-wheeling lifestyle adds the spark that has been missing in his life. The movie takes a dark turn when her violent ex-convict husband (Liotta) shows up and wants her back. |
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Something Wild is a 1986 American action comedy romance film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Melanie Griffith, Jeff Daniels and Ray Liotta. The film has some elements of a road movie combined with screwball comedy.
Plot
In New York City, Charlie Driggs (Jeff Daniels) is a seemingly conventional banker whose wife has left him. In a café, a brunette (Melanie Griffith) who calls herself Lulu spots him leaving without paying. After a teasing confrontation, the two leave in a car that, Lulu says, she acquired from a divorce. They embark on a bizarre adventure, including crashing and abandoning the car, stealing from a liquor store and leaving a diner without paying. Believing Charlie to be married, Lulu discloses that her real name is Audrey, and takes him to visit her mother, Peaches. Audrey now adopts a different persona, becoming a demure platinum blonde. Coming to accept Audrey's free-wheeling lifestyle, Charlie realizes he is falling in love with her.
The relationship takes a dark turn when her violent ex-convict husband, Ray Sinclair (Ray Liotta), shows up at a high school reunion; Ray wants her back. Dumping his girlfriend Irene (Margaret Colin), Ray takes Audrey and Charlie on a short-lived crime spree. The trio end up in a motel room where Audrey learns Charlie is no longer happily married and, under duress, reluctantly realizes she has to stay with Ray.
Ray tells Charlie to leave, warning him to keep away, but Charlie secretly tails them when they leave the motel. Charlie devises a plan to extract Audrey from Ray's grasp, and having done so, he takes Audrey to his home. Ray unexpectedly shows up and begins beating up Charlie, but in a scuffle Charlie accidentally stabs Ray, who dies. Audrey is taken away for questioning. Charlie later comes looking for Audrey at her apartment, but she has moved. Near the café where they first met, Audrey (in her third incarnation) appears with a station wagon. She invites Charlie into her car and back into her life.
