Captain Fantastic (2016)

Captain Fantastic (2016)

Viggo Mortensen is fantastic in this plot-twisting drama about a survivalist American family

The Very Best

9.5

Movie

United States of America
English, Esperanto
Adventure, Comedy, Drama
2016
MATT ROSS
Alan Humphrey, Ann Dowd, Annalise Basso
118 min

What it's about

A father living in the forests of the Pacific Northwest with his six young kids tries to assimilate back into society.

The take

Former activists Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) and his wife Leslie drop out from modern consumerist society to raise their six children in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. They teach them how to raise and kill their own food, to survive in nature through boot-camp-like workouts, and homeschool them in literature, music, and left-wing philosophy. Instead of Christmas, they celebrate Noam Chomsky's birthday. Then, one day, this unusual family life is shaken by a phone call and they are forced to leave their life of adventure to reintegrate into American life.

Directed by Matt Ross, who also brought you Good Night, and Good Luck, the film offers a poignant look at alternative living, the effects of modern technology, and the nature of good parenting. Viggo Mortensen is indeed fantastic as the grizzled father and was rightly nominated for a Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Actor. George MacKay and the entire cast of “children” also deliver terrific performances. As emotionally raw and thought-provoking as it is funny, Captain Fantastic will have the viewer decide if Ben Cash is the best father in the world or the worst.

Comments

Took exactly 10 minutes and I turned it off. The usual American formula movie applied to common and predictable movie.. Change the name, the actors (make sure they are all good looking and adorable) and apply the formula, evoila, you got a movie. It’s the instant coffee version of Hollywood.

Loved it. Excellent movie

I was not impressed by this one. It basically was an overcooked version of Leave No Trace, which was much more subtle and memorable for me.

This one is extremely different from other films I’ve seen in the past. It’s actually quite sad, with a few chuckles in between. It’s definitely worth viewing.

I don’t think it deserves such a high rating. It was a good movie although quite slow. I’d rate it a 7

AGAIN NOT A COMEDY!
But a great movie. I agree with 345

VIEWER BEWARE….This is NOT a comedy! I had just watched a horror flick and wanted to end the night with a laugh so I clicked on Genre/Comedy. (which is precisely where I found this…under the category of comedy)

I hadn’t seen this so gave it a whirl hoping for some laughs.
To say the very least, they did not come.

The disappointment of not having any laughs is completely gone as this was a Fantastic (pun intended) movie! The cast in this movie were all picked to perfection. The story was very well balanced and one could very well see this scene playing out in real life.

Once it got rolling, I didn’t want the movie to end and I LOVE movies like that. No spoiler, but the ending is just what the movie deserved.
TIP: Watch this movie with a friend so you can talk about it after.
I would give this movie a 4.5 but since the website had me fooled with it being listed under comedy…I’ll pencil in a 4 star.

** SIDE NOTE Most comedy/dramas (in my opinion) should be watched going into with the thought process that it will be a serious movie with the possibility of a laugh or two scattered throughout.

So excellent! What a fascinating cast of characters, and a really touching story.

Absolutely fantastic movie. Fell in love Viggo Mortensen all over again.
Happpy Noam Chomsky Day!

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Novelist’s Film (2022)

A deeply meaningful and uncommonly tender high point in director Hong Sang-soo's prolific career

8.8

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Shyamalan meets Black Mirror in this hugely entertaining, visually inventive apocalyptic thriller with a killer ending

8.2

Irish Wish (2024)

Corny but perfectly serviceable romcom comfort food shot in beautiful locations

5.4

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

Steve Treviño: Simple Man (2024)

Overly predictable Gen X humor that at least knows how to stick to its guns

5.7

All of Us Strangers (2023)

A devastating queer drama that explores the nature of grief and love through a uniquely supernatural lens

8.8

Hail Satan? (2019)

Forget everything you think you know about the Satanic Temple

8.0

I Lost My Body (2019)

The Oscar-nominated unconventional animation

8.2

Damsel (2024)

Millie Bobby Brown turns from titular lady to survivor in this fairly entertaining, though safe, fantasy flick

7.0

The Zone of Interest (2023)

A chilling and masterful display of the banality of evil

9.5

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.