Indie Gems: Captain Fantastic

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Who needs social skills?

Ben (Viggo Mortensen) raises his 6 children off the grid. They live in the woods, live off the land, he homeschools them. When we meet the family, we learn Ben's wife is away at a mental hospital, then we learn she kills herself and her father (Frank Langella) will not let Ben and his family attend the funeral. But they are very much in the "fuck the man!" mindset so off they go, even though Ben is missing some queues from his children during this truly upsetting time.

Ben's children are little geniuses but they completely lack social skills with people who aren't living off the grid. That's apparent when the oldest son Bo (George MacKay) has these most awkward encounter with a girl and her mother in the history of movies. (at least that's how it feels) Bo also harbors a secret about wanting to go to real college, so you can tell throughout he's just waiting for the perfect moment to spring that on his dad.

Mortensen and MacKay are the standouts, both give spectacular performances. All the kids were perfectly cast, especially in the scenes where they're grieving, I found them completely believable. It's also littered with amazingly awkward moments and humor despite the heavy premise. I hope this film gets a bit of Golden Globes love, I don't think it stands a chance at the Oscars, but it fits nicely in the comedy section there.

Grade: B

Watched on: Netflix DVD

Memorable Quote: "If it doesn't come from a book, I don't know shit." - Bo (George MacKay)

Comments

  1. s.December 23, 2016 at 11:33 AM

    is true Viggo is naked in this?;d

    ReplyDelete
  2. BirgitDecember 26, 2016 at 9:56 PM

    I love Viggo but unsure about this movie but I will take a chance on it

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDecember 28, 2016 at 12:04 PM

    Definitely worth a watch. An outside the box kind of movie with good acting even if it's not as neatly made as we could wish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 28, 2016 at 9:44 PM

      I wrote this review before the Globes and SAG noms were out, I'm glad to see it's getting love now. Viggo was amazing.

      Delete
  4. UnknownDecember 31, 2016 at 1:42 PM

    I heard about this film from my aunt and since you suggest good indie gems, I will definitely try to watch this soon!

    ReplyDelete

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