This had to be one of the most moving films i've ever seen. How Emile Hirsch has portrayed this fine young man has astounded me and made me eager to see some of his new work. But Emile isn't the extent of the greatness of this film, no, far from it every actor Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, Jena Malone and especially the triumphant return of Hal Holbrook all are at the top of their game and were very believable. I never thought of Sean Penn as a great director especially after seeing in my opinion the lukewarm "The Pledge" but he truly is for this picture. Many people including my father have criticized this film because they believe that Chris was stupid and self centered. But what they don't understand is that Chris simply didn't want to lead a normal, average life he wanted to adventure and enjoy life's beauty. Of course he felt sorrow in the end for dying alone in the wild, but the ending is pitch perfect and made me well up in tears. Anyway this movie has inspired me in many ways, I bought the book a few days after seeing the film in theaters and just today bought the DVD and look forward to seeing it again. 10/10 people this is a must see!