Great Performance: Into the Wild's Emile Hirsch

Have you seen Into the Wild? If not, RUN, do not walk, to a theater to see this brilliant movie.

A large part of the reason the movie is so successful is the transcendant performance of Emile Hirsch. I had seen Hirsch in Alpha Dog last year, and had heard about his role in the upcoming Speed Racer, but I was completely unprepared for the tour de force he delivers in this movie. His character, Chris McCandless, a graduate of Emory University, walks into the Alaskan wilderness in 1992 to "find himself." And he never walks out.

While it would be easy to peg Chris as a nutcase or a self-indulgent narcissist, Hirsch's performance defies such easy characterizations. He is simulatenously charming and maddening, seeking both solitude and also genuine connection. At moments you want to punch him in the face; at other moments you want to hold him in your arms. Hirsch is 100% believable at every turn. It is a truly breathtaking performance.

And he's sooooooo cute!

If you haven't yet seen the film, check it out. You won't be sorry.

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