Go wild

By Rachel Krueger

An interview with my Current-Self re: Where the Wild Things Are (the film), conducted by my Previous-Self (who had not yet seen it).

Previous-Self: I am nervous about this movie. I carry my generation’s obligatory love of the book, and the trailer looks terrible. Speak to my nervousness!

Current-Self: Calm yourself. The movie is unexpectedly good. Also, surprisingly faithful to the book.

PS: How can that be? The book has, like, 12 lines of text, and no discernible plot.

CS: I know, right? And without really seeming to add anything, the film is some hour and three-quarters long. It breaks all the laws of physics, but there it is. Also, ALL of the dialogue from the book ends up in the movie, and it is seriously nostalgia-inducing.

PS: Is it cheesy? Will I throw up in my socks?

CS: Not hardly! It is sweet without being saccharine, and heart-warming without being hokey.

PS: What of the wild things?

CS: Again with the ridiculous fidelity. The one that sort of looks like a bird but not really, he’s there, and the bull-like-thing, he’s there too. They’re ALL THERE! And they’re actual muppets, not CGI monstrosities, but their faces are eerily human. One of them will look like your uncle.

PS: If I have a five-year-old niece who also loves the book, should I bring her along?

CS: Hells to the huh-uh. Max cries, like, five minutes into the movie, and it is sad, and then he is yelled at with vehemence some 10 minutes later, and it is upsetting, and then the monsters LEGITIMATELY TRY TO EAT HIM, and it is frightening (also hilarious, but in ways that five-year-olds won’t get). Best keep your munchkins at home. [Aside to readers who are not me: I don’t know your life. If you feel that your niece needs a good ensaddening/upsetting/frightening, carry on.]

PS: What size popcorn should I buy?

CS: As much as you can stomach. You will forget to eat dinner that day.