CUFF 2016: Hunt for the Wilderpeople Movie Review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews
CUFF 2016: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a coming of age style movie from director Taika Waititi, who also directed What We Do in the Shadows, one of my favorite movies from last year. The film follows a kid named Ricky who is a bit of a trouble child, and his foster Uncle, Hector (played hilariously by Sam Neill). The two go on an excursion into the New Zealand bush following child services deciding Hektor no longer has guardianship over Ricky, a decision Ricky isn't exactly a fan of.

First off, I gotta talk about Taika Waititi, the director. After this, What We Do in the Shadows, and Eagle vs. Shark, I have to say that Waititi is one of the best comedic directors working today, and while Hunt for the Wilderpeople isn't exactly the same level of total comedic gold that WWWDS was, it's still a hilarious film with Waititi's fingerprints all over it, in terms of both the style and the writing.

The writing in this movie is fantastic, and it's also surprisingly different for Waititi. Sure, the movie still has his signature quirkiness, but overall the movie is mostly about the father-son bond between Hector and Ricky, and it's surprisingly heartfelt at times. While it never got me to tear up like I thought it would, there's some pretty effective moments in an otherwise lighthearted but very mature (content-wise) coming of age comedy.

The two leads are outstanding in this movie, Sam Neill is always a welcome sight as he's just a really good actor, and the kid playing Ricky is hilarious, I think this is the start of a really good career for him. The supporting cast in this movie shines as well, from some hunters to some funny cops, to a surprisingly funny and actually not annoying stoner character, the supporting cast is great. If there was one worry I had, it was the social security worker, who I thought was just going to be cartoonishly evil, and she was, but Rachel House totally plays it up to the most hilarious extreme possible, and it ends up being one of the best parts of the film.

Final Rating
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a really good, really heartfelt, but not at all for kids coming of age film. Once again, Sam Neill is always a welcome sight, and the cast in this movie is fantastic. Taika Waititi has proven he's one of the best directors working today, and I'm very excited to see what he does with Thor: Ragnarok (no seriously, he's directing Thor 3. I know, right?)