Into the Wild (DVD)

Into the Wild (2007) starring Emile Hirsch, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Hal Holbrook, Jena Malone. A young man (Hirsch) gives up his safe, middle-class existence to seek ultimate freedom in remote Alaska. He travels on foot, usually alone, but meets an assortment of characters along the journey. In the back woods of Alaska, starving and living in a deserted bus, he comes to his ultimate wisdom -- that happiness is not real unless shared. But the insight comes too late for him; the story ends movingly, but not happily. We can't criticize the way it ends, however, because it is based on a true story. What we can criticize is its length -- it clocks in at two and a half hours. Holbrook was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role, as an old man who wants to adopt the young traveler. Directed by Sean Penn. Grade: B+