Captain Fantastic
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Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, beginning a journey that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent.
What critics thought
Viggo Mortensen's performance earns near-universal admiration, but the film itself splits critics sharply: admirers find its off-grid family drama thought-provoking and emotionally honest, while detractors argue director Matt Ross lets his protagonist off the hook too easily, resulting in a sentimental and uncritical portrait that mistakes sympathy for insight.
“The movie really belongs to Mortensen, who allows Ben to be exasperating, arrogant, and impatient but also warm, loving, and caring. He's a tough but adoring father, a grieving widower and a passionate defender of his wife's final wishes, and Mortensen plays all these notes, and more with subtlety and grace.”
Alonso Duralde·TheWrap
“Boasting half a dozen impressive youth performances alongside a leading role that takes full advantage of Mortensen's own sensitive, back-to-nature spirit, Captain Fantastic easily ranks among the most polished and relatable of this year's Sundance offerings.”
Peter Debruge·Variety
“There's a meaty whiff of phony-baloney in this fatuous and tiresome movie, replete with forced emotional crises and wrong notes, topped off with an excruciatingly unearned, sentimental ending. It's a low-cal version of Peter Weir's 1986 movie The Mosquito Coast, starring someone who is essentially a cross between Charles Manson and Captain von Trapp.”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
“the film treats the situation (and Ben) so uncritically and so sympathetically that there is a total disconnect between what is actually onscreen and what Ross thinks is onscreen”
Sheila O'Malley·RogerEbert.com
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Cast & Crew
Matt RossDirector
Viggo MortensenBen Cash
George MacKayBodevan Cash
Samantha IslerKielyr Cash
Annalise BassoVespyr Cash
Nicholas HamiltonRellian Cash
Shree CrooksZaja Cash
Charlie ShotwellNai Cash
Trin MillerLeslie Abigail Cash
Frank LangellaJack Bertrang
Ann DowdAbigail Bertrang
Steve ZahnDave
Kathryn HahnHarper
Alex SomersComposer
Stéphane FontaineCinematographyCaptain Fantastic
Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, beginning a journey that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent.
What critics thought
Viggo Mortensen's performance earns near-universal admiration, but the film itself splits critics sharply: admirers find its off-grid family drama thought-provoking and emotionally honest, while detractors argue director Matt Ross lets his protagonist off the hook too easily, resulting in a sentimental and uncritical portrait that mistakes sympathy for insight.
“The movie really belongs to Mortensen, who allows Ben to be exasperating, arrogant, and impatient but also warm, loving, and caring. He's a tough but adoring father, a grieving widower and a passionate defender of his wife's final wishes, and Mortensen plays all these notes, and more with subtlety and grace.”
Alonso Duralde·TheWrap
“Boasting half a dozen impressive youth performances alongside a leading role that takes full advantage of Mortensen's own sensitive, back-to-nature spirit, Captain Fantastic easily ranks among the most polished and relatable of this year's Sundance offerings.”
Peter Debruge·Variety
“There's a meaty whiff of phony-baloney in this fatuous and tiresome movie, replete with forced emotional crises and wrong notes, topped off with an excruciatingly unearned, sentimental ending. It's a low-cal version of Peter Weir's 1986 movie The Mosquito Coast, starring someone who is essentially a cross between Charles Manson and Captain von Trapp.”
Peter Bradshaw·The Guardian
“the film treats the situation (and Ben) so uncritically and so sympathetically that there is a total disconnect between what is actually onscreen and what Ross thinks is onscreen”
Sheila O'Malley·RogerEbert.com
Accolades
Genres
Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Cast & Crew
Matt RossDirectorViggo MortensenBen CashGeorge MacKayBodevan CashSamantha IslerKielyr CashAnnalise BassoVespyr CashNicholas HamiltonRellian CashShree CrooksZaja CashCharlie ShotwellNai CashTrin MillerLeslie Abigail CashFrank LangellaJack BertrangAnn DowdAbigail BertrangSteve ZahnDaveKathryn HahnHarperAlex SomersComposerStéphane FontaineCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy