I think.

Anyway, I like a movie with a strong supporting cast and a willingness to use them to full effect. I have only seen one other movie from Penn but I should go back and see his first couple movies. I remember hearing good things about them.

And yeah, that Hurt scene was very moving.

Also interesting how you keyed in on how the movie at times seems just as interested in using McCandless to illuminate the supporting characters as it is in really understanding McCandless himself. I think it’s a big part of the movie…a fact that didn’t make it into my own review.

Weird, huh?

I also agree that Penn’s movie is a little heavy-handed at times, although I felt some of the technical tricks he employs were more grating than his willingness to show McCandless’ own fears reflected back at him. To me, that particular scene accurately reflects the pretentiousness of McCandless’ entire journey of self-discovery. Hell, I know that when I was that age (McCandless was only a few older than I at the time) I had the same fears of “selling out” and becoming my parents. But I thought Penn occasionally went a little overboard in his visual storytelling, trying to push the Odyssey aspect of McCandless’ experiences a little hard on the viewer.

Curiously enough, I couldn’t help thinking of Easy Rider watching this movie, how McCandless was himself something of a wandering anti-establishment anti-hero on a road trip of discovery. More interesting though is that McCandless’ journey as depicted in the movie rarely becomes social commentary (and when it does it goes way overboard) but instead becomes a commentary on the nature of self-discovery and the search for a spiritual connection. McCandless may not believe in God, but I think he’s looking to connect with something bigger than himself if for no other reason than to prove to himself that there is indeed a point to this process we call life.

Hal Holbrook and Katherine Keener are both excellent. Vince Vaughn is also great (so nice to see him NOT playing yet another variation on his Swingers character). William Hurt has one of the most affecting moments of his career, but I was really shocked by Kristen Stewart. Not necessarily because she was so amazing, but mostly because she had such a presence on screen. Maybe I was just turned on by her character, maybe I was a little shocked by the fact that she looked like she would eat Emile Hirsch if she had the chance. I don’t know, but she definitely has a magneticism to her I haven’t seen in an actor in a while.

Anyway, good movie. Possibly one of my best of the year.