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Nowadays, there’s always a movie to go with books that are being published. The book, Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, is no different. I always compare the book I read to the movie that is made about it and decide which I believe to be better. Usually, I read books before seeing the movies but with Wild, it was a bit different.
The Movie
I first learned about the book because of the movie. The title sounded interesting but to me, not interesting enough to go see it in theaters. I just wasn’t sure if it was “theater worthy”, I guess. After it came out on DVD, I became interested enough to watch, Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon. I must say, I thought it was dull, sort of boring, and oddly pieced together.
I understood that the main idea of the movie was that there was a young girl who was having trouble dealing with her mother’s death. She made a crazy decision to walk the Pacific Crest Trail alone to hopefully find herself. I got that much, and I understood how inspirational it was but I think my real issue was that I just didn’t really like how the movie was made. After watching the movie, I felt like there was so much more to the story that the movie didn’t tell.
The Book
About a year or so ago, I found the book at a thrift store. I decided to buy it but wasn’t totally sold on the idea of reading the book when I found the movie to be so dull. When I mentioned that I didn’t like the movie on social media one night, someone reached out to me and said that if would read the book and then watch the movie again, the movie would make more sense.
So, earlier this year, I decided to finally give the book a chance. I began reading it and soon, couldn’t put it down! I loved how raw and vulnerable Cheryl was with her writing. She shared so much of her experiences on the trail and so much of her past that I felt like she became a close friend. I laughed, I cried, I blushed. It made me feel like I was walking along with her on that trail and really getting inside of her mind. I couldn’t believe how much I actually liked this book!
Then, a few nights ago, I saw that the movie, Wild, was going to be on television. I decided to record it and give it one more try, ugh. Well, I have to admit that the person who reached out to me on social media was right. The book really dug deep into Cheryl’s story and mind and therefore, the little parts that the movie showed made so much more sense to me than they had before. I actually enjoyed the movie this time, although they still left out so much. I understand though, that movies really can’t include everythingyou read in the book.
Which is better, the book or the movie?
Overall, when I think about the Wild book versus the movie, hands down, the book wins. I have a new appreciation for the movie though. I actually enjoyed getting to watch on television what I had read about Cheryl and her experiences and I believe Reese Witherspoon was a great actress to portray Cheryl.
My advice to you would be to read the book first. Really get to know Cheryl Strayed, her past, her experiences, and crawl inside her mind. Then, after you’ve accomplished that, watch the movie. It will bring what you’ve read to life a bit more, but truthfully, it’ll never be as good as the book. Either way you decide to learn about Cheryl Strayed and her journey will be worth doing though, since her story is definitely one worth telling.
If you want to read the book for yourself and develop your own opinion about it, you can click here to buy it. Click here if you would like to buy and watch the movie as well.
Have you read, Wild, or seen the movie? Are you going to go read or watch it now after reading this book/movie review? Let me know in the comment section below or as always, you can email me at brianadayle@yahoo.com or find me on Instagram @brianadayle!
