"River Wild" - Film Review
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, River Wild wouldn't exist.
Teen drama superstars Leighton Meester and Adam Brody lead this remake of River Wild. It’s not every day that Seth Cohen and Blair Waldorf fight for their lives on a whitewater rafting journey, but if River Wild proves anything, it’s that this should be an everyday occurrence. Like the water the film takes place on, River Wild is a little rough around the edges, but don’t let that discourage you. River Wild is a little gem of a flick, an infectious mix of survival and interpersonal drama, neatly tied up with a less-than-ninety-minute bow.
Joey (Meester) and Gray (an unrecognizable Taran Killam with a full-on mountain man beard) are siblings who clearly love each other, but may not fully like or trust one another. It’s supposed to be a weekend of reconnection and relaxation, but that isn’t possible when an unexpected person joins their whitewater rafting trip. In addition to Joey, Gray, and the two paying customers of Gray’s rafting company (Olivia Swann & Eve Connolly), there’s also Trevor (Brody). He’s a childhood friend of Joey and Gray who has found himself in a series of dangerous circumstances, the intensity of which isn’t immediately clear to the audience. As things on the trip turn from joyful to terrifying, secrets are unearthed.
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Even though River Wild’s script doesn’t ask much of Brody and Meester, they put on a spellbinding show. They’re far removed from their roles as wealthy teens from Orange County or the Upper East Side, covered in dirt and grimly fighting for survival. Some of their characters’ actions, mostly Brody’s, could be construed as melodramatic, but he has an earnest, grounded presence that makes the audience happy to go along for the ride. It’s probably his most unlikable role to date, a far cry from the nice guys the audience is used to seeing him play.
The premise and subsequent action of the film could very easily have slipped into a cartoonish or silly final product. There are probably plenty of B (or C or D) movies with a similar logline, but it’s a true testament to the cast’s performances that River Wild becomes a story of desperation. The film’s final fifteen minutes skew slightly toward the unbelievable nature in an effort to elevate the tension that was already high. There are just one too many absurd hurdles for the characters to survive, and they’re not necessary. Maybe if the actors couldn’t portray such natural tension leading up to the final moments, these hurdles would feel necessary. However, in this case, it’s the movie’s weakest means of concluding the story.
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That being said, River Wild is an enjoyable example of all three leads playing against type. Killam never cracks a joke, Meester is reserved, and Brody is nasty. While one might not be able to guess every twist and turn this rover brings them, they can guess how it ends. That doesn’t make the journey any less enjoyable.
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