Vitals

Ray Liotta as Ray Sinclair, volatile ex-convict

Pennsylvania to Virginia, June 1986

Film: Something Wild
Release Date: November 7, 1986
Director: Jonathan Demme
Costume Designer: Norma Moriceau

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Three years after his film debut in the 1983 box-office bomb The Lonely Lady, Ray Liotta made a more explosive impact through his Golden Globe-nominated breakthrough performance in Jonathan Demme’s darkly comic thriller Something Wild, released 40 years ago today on November 7, 1986.

The film follows uptight banker Charlie Driggs (Jeff Daniels) on an impulsive adventure with the free-spirited “Lulu” (Melanie Griffith), who seduces him into abandoning his old yuppie life. Their larcenous escapades lead them to her Pennsylvania hometown, where she introduces Charlie to her mother as her husband. They continue this romantic charade that evening at her high school’s ten-year class reunion, where they encounter Lulu’s devilish ex-husband Ray Sinclair (Ray Liotta). Continue reading →