Man, 2016 has a been a great year for weirdos in the forest. Between The Lobster and Captain Fantastic, nature loving eccentrics have had a lot to love. The Hunt for the Wilderpeople offers the same kind of bizarre experience as The Lobster and the sweeping vistas of Captain Fantastic, and manages to be even funnier and more enjoyable than either of them. Warm and heartfelt without feeling saccharine, silly and creative without feeling childish, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople is truly fantastic.
Despite its sparse cast and simple plot, the film manages to
achieve some undeniably touching and funny moments. The tale follows Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison),
a troubled New Zealand youth landing in yet another foster home. Baker is the classic preteen hoodlum – cursed
with delusions of gangster grandeur he rejects his new foster Auntie’s (Rima Te
Wiata) earnest attempts to welcome him to his new home. Te Wiata steals these opening scenes; her
relentless desire to make Ricky feel like part of the family is
cavity-inducingly sweet. Her perfect
counterpoint, Uncle Hector (Sam Neil) is an emotionally impenetrable man’s man
that is sick of Ricky’s nonsense from the moment he arrives. As is wont to happen in adventure movies,
misfortune thrusts Ricky and Hector together and the two are forced to survive
in the “Bush” of New Zealand with only their wits to protect them (well, wits
and a pair of dogs and rifles).
The ensuing adventure is one of the funniest and enjoyable
romps through the forest in film history.
Dennison absolutely nails several physical gags, and his nearly constant
wannabe-gangster façade leads to some downright hilarious moments in the
Bush. The pair meets an eccentric cast
of characters during their trek, each completely memorable and valuable to the
story. Most notable is a brief
appearance by New Zealand national treasure, Rhys Darby, as “Psycho Sam,” an
anti-establishment nutter living in the middle of the Bush. But even the hysterical antics of Darby in
these scenes can’t distract from the real heart of the film, though – the
relationship between Ricky and Hector.
They are truly one of the most enjoyable on-screen pairs in quite some
time. The movie’s
biggest weakness is the antagonist. Rachel
House’s Trunchbull-esque portrayal of a New Zealand Child Protective Services
agent is wonderfully despicable, and gives the audience a great villain to
hate. The problem, however, is that the
character’s gross incompetence borders on absurdity to the point of
occasionally distracting from the otherwise believable narrative. It’s not enough to really hurt the film, but
it did cause an occasional palm-to-face moment.
Without even considering the incredible vistas
of the New Zealand Bush, the tight narrative pacing, or the moments made very funny by excellent cinematography, Wilderpeople is an excellent movie based
solely on the merits of the physical and emotional journey taken by Ricky and Hector. It does, however, have beautiful vistas, a
tight plot, and hilarious cinematography, which elevates Wilderpeople to one of the best films of the year. Between last year’s What We Do in the Shadows and Wilderpeople,
director Taika Waititi is well on his way to proving himself as one of the best
comedic directors out there. I, for one,
can’t wait to see what’s next for those Kiwis.Get your hunt on and share this review.
Score
-Patrick B. Mcdonald