Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

tdrish I didn't get it. Literally, this movie is about nothing...absolutely nothing. Characters so dull, you don't care what they say, or what they do. Hell, you almost want it to be a horror movie, so that they get axed off, and you don't have to look at them any more. Okay, so maybe it's not that bad, but I did find this a major bore fest. It just seems to be a random mashup up of everything that the 80's had done at that point in time ( this was a 1984 film.) I did laugh a few times, but 90 percent of the movie falls completely flat. The funniest scene isn't until the 45 minute mark, when a fight abruptly begins in a nude bar. The Wild Life is from the same makers as Fast Times At Ridgemont High, which I think has its share of problems too, and that, also, had a few laughs, but that was another movie about absolutely nothing. Maybe its a good thing, then, that these makers have cranked out what they're good at, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING in the last 30 years.

moonspinner55 Very strange screenplay by Cameron Crowe (following on the heels of his "Fast Times at Ridgemont High") has little inspiration and flails away at dumb gags. At least "Fast Times" had a fair share of satire and sensitivity behind its slapstick (courtesy of a good director, Amy Heckerling, and Crowe's undeniable penchant for capturing letter-perfect teen-speak); here, Chris Penn (Sean's brother, natch) is the goof-off who makes life hell for straight arrow Eric Stoltz, and the filmmakers seem to think he's hilarious. Jenny Wright has some good moments as a mall-worker, but Illan Mitchell-Smith is lost in a head-scratching subplot about a teen who seems to be infatuated with a shell-shocked ex-soldier. Queasy, confused nonsense given a shiny sheen and a soundtrack full of pop-rock tunes, but characters one would hope to avoid. Supporting players Lea Thompson, Rick Moranis, Lee Ving, and Sherilyn Fenn are wasted in stupid roles. * from ****

Pepper Anne The 'Wild Life,' like other 80s teen movies, are just one of those movies you watch not for story (since there really is no single, distinct plot directing the characters), but simply because you can have fun with the series of scattered events with which our characters wade through.This one follows the spirit of 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High,' minus most of the controversial plot lines ('Fast Times' addresses abortion, but this one only somewhat addresses strung out vets). Although, that is not surprising since Chris Penn's character, Tom Drake, so closely models Sean Penn's character, Jeff Spicoli. This movie is what a spin-off of 'Fast Times' would be like if Jeff Spicoli were the main character.There are essentially five main characters: Tom Drake (Penn), the anarchistic party animal; recent high school grad, Bill Conrad (a timid Eric Stolz who once played fellow surfer bonehead to Jeff Spicoli in 'Fast Times') who wants to prove that both masculinity and adulthood hinge on his having his own apartment; Anita (Lea Thompson) who is dating a sleazy cop; Eileen (the spunky Jenny Wright) who is much more independent that Anita, but no less able to entirely refuse her idiot boyfriend, Tom Drake; and Jim Conrad (Ilan-Mitchell Smith), the gloomy brother who is slightly less weirder than Josh Miller was in 'The River's Edge.' A crazy assortment of characters is typical in this variety of 80s comedy. Without a main plot, our characters' situations lead to some pretty hilarious subplots (most of them being between Tom Drake and Bill Conrad, who eventually become the 80s 'Odd Couple' when Drake moves in).Look for minor roles by Rick Moranis, as Eileen's completely nerdy boss, Harry; Randy Quaid as drugged out Vietnam Vet, Charlie; Lee Ving (lead singer of 'Fear') who briefly appears as the cable guy; and Michael Bowen (Tommy in 'Valley Girl') as Tom Drake's equally braindead jock friend.And, of course, it wouldn't be an 80s teen movie without boobs, beer, and house parties.I didn't like this movie the first time I saw it because there is really no point to most things that transpire in the story. Why is the scene at the strip club or the younger brother's fascination with the war important? It doesn't matter. I watched it a second time, a little tired and giddy, and the 'Wild Life' became the perfect late night lazy movie. Turn off your brain and enjoy. (That party sequence at the end is hilarious).

Dan Grant Straight up, I love this film. I love everything about it. It has a great soundtrack, it has a lot of recognizable faces and it is funny as hell. There are so many plots in this film and every one of them is funny in one way or another.Where as Spicolli lit up the screen two years back, Drake is almost as memorable of a character. All he wants to do is have fun. He moves out of the house without his parent's consent, he skips work whenever he feels like it, he is obsessed with sex, he loves his drugs and booze and he tries to be a good friend. It is his lacksidaisical attitude that makes him such a joy to watch. And he comes out with some great lines. And there are so many tiny observations that you don't see coming but they make you laugh at the sheer velocity when it hits you. One particular moment is when Tommy and Bill are talking about Bill's ex girlfriend dating someone else now. At the end of the conversation, Tommy takes his huge beer bottle and just throws it over his shoulder, casually. He then says good night and the scene ends. It is a perfect scene. Tommy's world is his own. He really lives to party and have fun. When the conversation is over, his time is over and he doesn't care who he offends in the process. He has an innocence about him. "It's casual" is his favourite saying.Another such classic scene is Reggie handing Bill a donut. He says something to him that me and my friends will never forget because we rewound the film ten times and watched that part over and over again and hurt ourselves laughing. It has to be seen to be appreciated.Wild Life is a throw back to when teen comedies were funny, raunchy, had a good ear, entertained us and just wanted us to get lost in their world for 90 minutes. Wild Life does all those things perfectly. If this is a film that you haven't seen, give it a chance. It is a classic.Also check out the army store guy that Jim has problems with. He is a very familiar face now and it is his first role on the big screen.