Into the Wild

Two and a half hours is a long way to go to arrive at the most basic truth: "Happiness is only real when shared." And the funny thing is that most people don't have to abandon their families and starve themselves to death to figure this out. Also, Sean Penn turning this misguided young man into some sort of saint in the end was ridiculous. I seriously doubt he croaked in some sort of blissed-out reverie, floating in the clouds, as depicted here.

I'd also like to call a moratorium on Terrence Malick homages. This is the second movie I've seen in as many months that overdoes it (The Assassination of Jesse James being the other). Having said all this, there are many beautiful shots of the American western landscape in this movie. It made me want to see more of it, but with a friend and the occasional stop for a good meal.