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Dec 03, 2014 By Shawn Hazelett Web Exclusive

Every triathlete, ultramarathoner, or other crazy adventurer is asked why they embark on the challenge. For most, the reason to why is the challenge itself. In Wild, Cheryl Strayed embarks on a 1000-mile trek up the Pacific Crest Trail with more whys than miles to cover. An abusive childhood. Tragedy. Drugs. A failed marriage. It all finally motivates her to utilize the one bright spot in her life—her mother’s values—to accomplish something bigger than her scrawny five-foot frame should allow.

In Cheryl, Reese Witherspoon effectively balances flashbacks that recall her rom-com star-making roles with dark, sordid material. Though she is unquestionably tough in the hiking scenes, Witherspoon leaves enough room to doubt whether she can go the distance. Her mother is her pillar and is played wonderfully by Laura Dern. Single, uneducated, and forced out of an abusive marriage, she offers so much joy that she feels uncomfortably oblivious to just how shitty her life is. But she knows. As her daughter will learn, the whys are key to navigating life’s roughest terrain.

www.foxsearchlight.com/wild

Author rating: 8/10