Wild Things: Sex, Swamps, and Sin

And today, we’re talking about John McNaughton’s 1998 film Wild Things. It takes place in a steamy, affluent Florida town where the hot, popular high school teacher Sam Lombardi draws longing glances from his female students. In particular, Kelly van Ryan - a shamelessly flirtatious student who will stop at nothing to get his attention. But horny teenage antics take a much more serious turn when she accuses him of rape. As does Suzie Toller, a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking loner from the other side of the tracks who has a mysterious past with the cop investigating the case. But you would be sorely mistaken if you think that the film takes any of this subject matter seriously. Oh noooo. What we have is a film soaking in wet t-shirts, arched backs, threesomes, sexual exploitation, and a huge splash of campy humor. This is a film unabashedly submerged in the male gaze, but takes itself so unseriously that you can’t help but enjoy the ride watching these Wild Things gleefully stab each other in the back. The film stars Matt Dillon, Denise Richards, Neve Campbell, Kevin Bacon, Kevin’s Bacon, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Theresa Russell, Robert Wagner, and Bill Murray, and has a runtime of 1 Hour and 48 minutes.CREDITSHosts: Erin Maxwell & Kristina "Krissie" RettigEdited by: Russ LichterTheme Song by: Spooky Dan