Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Hunt For The Wilderpeople


Last Friday afternoon we went to our little gem of an art theater, the Enzian, to see Hunt For The Wilderpeople.  I wasn't excited about seeing this film but it's received fantastic reviews- and Dave wanted to see it - so we did.

I loved every bit of it.

Set in the New Zealand bush country, it stars Sam Neill (whom I did not know was from New Zealand) playing Hec and a really chubby 13 year old kid, Julian Dennison, playing Ricky Baker.

Ricky's welfare worker thinks he's a "bad egg."  One of his crimes is he spits.  Ricky enjoys his image.  He calls himself "a menace to society."  His dog's name is Tupac.  But he really is a smart, sweet, funny, extraordinarily adaptable kid who writes haiku.  This guy is entertaining every minute he's on screen.

At it's heart Hunt For The Winderpeople is a buddy/road trip movie, with the five month "road trip" spent in the bush, being hunted down by lawmen and the dreaded welfare worker.

Toward the end, their capture will remind you of Thelma and Louise.  But it has a satisfying ending and I think everybody - from preteens on up - would love this film.


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