The Pitch: Deliverance meets The Great OutdoorsInfluence: Without A Paddle
Price of Admission: $3.50
When: October 1, 1994 at 4:20 pm
My Age: 13
Quote: I am a nice guy. Just a different kind of nice guy. - Kevin Bacon
The movie's tagline was The vacation is over. Personally, I would have gone with Streep goes not so Meryl-y down the stream. This fun little action thriller came from Curtis Hanson, the director of L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys, and, um, 8 Mile. Besides Streep and Bacon, it co-starred some great character actors like John C. Reilly, (John Sayles' regular) David Strathairn, and the kid from the Jurassic Park movies.
Synopsis: Streep takes her son and work-obsessed, family neglecting husband Strathairn on a little white water rafting trip. On the river they meet Bacon and Reilly, who seem like nice enough fellas. They're not. Bacon spies on Streep bathing in the buff. They soon kidnap Streep and her boy to take them down the river so they can make off with the loot they stole. Only problem is they have to take The Gauntlet. This is no Real World/Road Rules challenge. It's a category 5+, which is some rough rapids and then some. Strathairn is apparently an Eagle Scout and helps save the day. Streep flips the raft. She flips it for real.
Here's a scene which shows some pretty heavy foreshadowing:
Up next: Reinhold judges jolly ol' St. Nick
