This film tells the story of Cheryl Strayed, a woman who walked 1100 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from the Mexican border in the south to the Columbia River on the border between Oregon and Washingtin in the north despite having no hiking experience. Interspersed with scenes of her journey we see, via flashbacks, how her life fell apart following the death of her mother and the collapse of her marriage leading to behaviour that was probably as dangerous as hiking the PCT without being properly prepared.

I really enjoyed this film; particularly the scenes of the trek. Normally commenting on the scenery before the story is a sign that something is lacking in the latter but here it is a vital part of the film... I doubt the trail would exist if it wasn't scenic. Reese Witherspoon gives a fine performance as Cheryl Strayed making it easy to believe her character is having a tough time but also is developing as the journey unfolds. In early scenes it would be hard to believe she didn't just die in the Mojave if one didn't know it is based on a real person's experiences but by the end it doesn't feel unlikely that she makes it. The flashback scenes nicely show what led somebody with no experience to try such an arduous walk. Laura Dern provides solid support as Cheryl's mother in the flashback scenes. The story provides plenty of tense moments, as terrain, weather and certain people she meets provide possible threat. Overall I'd certainly recommend this.

Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern got well deserved Oscar nominations for their roles in this film. In fact, I cannot fathom how Witherspoon was denied a win.

I won't fall into the trap of comparing this film to the book. The book was the best one I read last year, and I thought it unfilmable. I was surprised at how well the film managed to capture the essential elements of the book.

The key was not the Pacific Coast Trail, but Cheryl Strayed's journey into self-discovery. The point where she fell to her knees in tears was the culmination of pain in her life, and the realization of her love for her mother.

This is definitely a film to watch more than once.

This is the story of Cheryl Strayed who made a trip on the Pacific trail, over a thousand yards. Reese Witherspoon is Strayed and she has been through it. If we were to look at her upbringing that leads her to this decision, we would find a broken person who has fallen under the truck, time after time. As she faces each challenge (being really unprepared for the trip, reading manuals for devices and obstacles on the way) she has flashbacks of her long suffering mother (played by Laura Dern). The mother's death led her to the lowest of the low, drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, and even pregnancy. But her mother was the rock, never faltering when things became horrible. Just as her life was looking up, she contracts spinal cancer and dies quickly. Strayed meets all the challenges and grows tremendously along the way. There are threats around every corner and she expresses her fears and concerns at every juncture. At one point, a couple of bow hunters get assistance from her, but their threatening presence is incredibly intense. She is rightfully afraid, but manages to keep her feet under her. She often has feet of clay, but she manages to somehow avoid defeat. Acting performances are good across the board, but at times seem contrived. Still it's a very good character study.