Captain Fantastic
2016
****
Director: Matt Ross
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell, Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn, Ann Dowd
Ben Cash and his wife Leslie have raised their six children to be physically fit critical thinkers who are at one with nature. Now the family are forced to leave the wilderness in the Pacific Northwest and enter the mainstream society when Leslie commits suicide in a mental hospital. Matt Ross' second feature draws influence from The Mosquito Coast, Into the Wild, and Little Miss Sunshine to create a captivating and entertaining indie drama comedy. The script does a wonderful balancing act of assessing whether Ben is the best or the worst father in the world. His children may be smart and self-sufficient, but totally unprepared for the outside world. The film is funny and poignant but occasionally smug and not entirely believable. The cast is great.
