9 years ago, they were gonna do this flick with Leo as the lead and Marlon "The Fatass Who Was Too Good to Care" Brando as the old man. Thank whatever is holy that didn't pan out. Emile Hirsch is easily the best American actor of his generation in multiplexes today (sorry, Shia). Not only is he fine with comedy (check out "The Girl Next Door" -- no, really, check out "The Girl Next Door"), but he's able to carry a vehicle like this one without advertising how much he's "losing himself" in the role as a young Leo would've for a two-hour long Oscar clip (props for "The Departed," Leo, we don't hate you as much anymore, but you really were a truly obnoxious little shit for quite a while there).

That aside, kudos to every actor in this phucker, even Vince Vaughn comes across as sincere. Katherine Keener, Hal Holbrook, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, and... oops, I forgot Jena Malone was in this. What the hell is Jena Malone doing anywhere on a screen ever? She's like this weird lame-o who steals roles that could've gone to a hot chick, but always seems to score them because she's "different," and "different" is "deep," and "deep" people are better than people who'd like a hot chick to zone out to in case the movie itself is a crapper (as was the case in "Life as a House," where men under thirty were forced to mentally undress Kristen Scott Thomas when there was no hot young chick to turn to).

Every time she shows up as the love interest, every damn guy in the theater gets pissed off, at least they hired her this time to play the lead's sister and not some vixen. Whatever, her constant narration that seems more like Sean Penn's personal take on the whole story than her own is also the worst aspect of the whole movie. The plot? Oh yeah. Based on the book by John Krakauer (which was based on the true story), 22-year-old Christopher McCandless graduates college to leave the material world behind and embark on a journey that takes him many places most people just think about going. While he does donate his savings (given to him by his parents) to charity, he sets fire to the leftover money, which reminds us while he's spewing knowledge out of his ass about life and "the hypocrites" he's left behind that he's really just a little sheltered honkey dickhead who (rightfully, by the laws of youth) just wants to experience something grander than the job, two kids, dog, and white picket fence.

The latter bit is what makes us relate to and root for him, and all the previous details are what make the film able to treat him as a hero on a journey to a true discovery. While he sets out to be a neato rebel and see the world, he ends up finding out that maybe he doesn't really know everything, and it's what makes his trip so interesting. Sean Penn, while maybe not the top notch writer for the job, does turn out some decent dialogue to let his actors chew on, and it's no big surprise that such a brilliant actor would do fine directing them.

This flick ain't perfect, but it's something worth seeing, and you can't say that about pleeeenty of flicks that expect to move everyone to tears just because they're "based on a true story."
 
(four bongs)