Something Wild (1986)

A mild mannered Wall Street executive (Jeff Daniels) hooks up with rebellious free spirit (Melanie Griffith) and plays hookie from work for the day. But that day turns into a wild and crazy and eventually deadly weekend. Directed by Jonathan Demme from an original screenplay by E. Max Frye (FOXCATCHER). Frye's script begins as an 80s screwball comedy, Griffith and Daniels as a Kate Hepburn and Cary Grant coupling right out of BRINGING UP BABY. Around the halfway mark, it takes a 360 degree turn into a nasty little thriller and to Demme's credit, it's done seamlessly. I think one has to see the film as a movie inspired fantasy of sorts (Hawks morphs into Hitchcock) because realistic it's not (that's not a complaint). Daniels is very good in a part that can't have been that easy to play but the movie belongs to Griffith. Then there's Ray Liotta who enters the movie and makes you queasy, you just know he's up to no good. Liotta pushes his psychotic almost to the point of a cartoon ... almost but he's a smart enough actor (and/or Demme's a good enough director) to not cross the line. The film is filled with wonderful performances by actors in small roles. With Margaret Colin, Dana Preu, Jack Gilpin and Anna Levine.