Wild

In Wild, director Jean-Marc Vallee ("Dallas Buyers Club"), Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line") and Academy Award nominated screenwriter Nick Hornby ("An Education") bring bestselling author Cheryl Strayed's extraordinary adventure to the screen. After years of reckless behavior, a heroin addiction and the destruction of her marriage, Strayed makes a rash decision. Haunted by memories of her mother Bobbi (Laura Dern) and with absolutely no experience, she sets out to hike more than a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail all on her own. Wild powerfully reveals her terrors and pleasures - as she forges ahead on a journey that maddens, strengthens, and ultimately heals her.

This was one of those movies that get graded based on the performance of its lead since they are going to be the only thing on the screen for huge chunks of time.  Like Tom Hanks in Cast Away or Will Smith in I Am Legend.  Reese Witherspoon's performance was definitely as good as those and that made this movie and her journey an excellent watch.  You felt like you were there with her and felt all the same emotions and pain.  The way that they told her backstory in flashback form depending on what was going on during her escapade kept you very interested and wanting to know more.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It was a great work of storytelling with an incredibly wide range of emotions.  Reese Witherspoon will surely get nominated for several awards because of this performance - and rightfully so.