Sandy Kenyon reviews 'Wild'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A new film starring Reese Witherspoon hits theaters Wednesday, and it chronicles a woman's thousand-mile solo journey of self-discovery.

The title may be just a single word, but "Wild" has many meanings and explores quite a few of them.

Protagonist Cheryl Strayed finds herself at a crossroads in life and decides to hike up the Pacific coast as a way of clearing her head and trying to make sense of her life.

And what could have been a boring travelogue is made so compelling by the kindness of strangers she meets along the way, and her vivid memories of her mother are brought to life by Laura Dern.

Strayed is a real person who actually made this journey, and seeing her tiny figure in such a vast wilderness makes you feel like you are sharing the experience with her without ever leaving the comfort of your theater seat.

The book that inspired the movie is called "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail," and that's a perfect description of what happens here.

It's one of my favorite films of the year.