I am tired of the same old entertainment fare shoved down my throat by the Hollywood mafia. I have stopped watching most movies and TV shows, and the music pushers are just crappy old drug dealers, the stuff makes me sick.If you want to be entertained, although the movie isn't too intellectually challenging, it suggest the struggle many of us go through trying to raise our kids in a consumer driven society.
The main character Ben Cash's wife died, he is left raising his six kids the best he can. Also Ben is slightly narcissistic to the point of putting his kids in danger, which gives Ben's character more depth as he struggles with his ideals and the reality raising kids in the wilderness, whilst they are grieve for their loss.
Directed by Matt Ross -- Produced by Monica Levinson, Jamie Patricof, Shivani Rawat, Lynette Howell Taylor -- Written by Matt Ross --Starring --Viggo Mortensen -- Frank Langella--Kathryn Hahn -- Steve Zahn -- Music by Alex Somers -- Cinematography, Stéphane Fontaine -- Edited by Joseph Krings -- Production company, Electric City Entertainment -- ShivHans Pictures -- Distributed by Bleecker Street -- Release dates, January 23, 2016 (Sundance), July 8, 2016 (United States).
Ben Cash tries to help his kids grow up into good human beings, he fails, makes mistakes, is forgiven and still loved because he lets people own who they truly are and his children love him for letting them be the best they can be.
The father faces the reality of raising his kids totally cut off from civilization when the family take their old bus to their mothers funeral. Ben Cash must face his wife's grieving family who think he is crazy. On the trip there is a whole lot of adventures too, the two older boys push back at their fathers inability to face his ideal regarding raising his kids is actually hurting them. There is conflict and resolution, which is all nicely laid out, I wish my family could resolve their problems so neatly...but any whoo... Ben Cash's strict no blue ribbons for coming in last, no winning losers, is great but it does not help the kids deal with developing relationships and being able to walk in both worlds.
The movie is thought provoking, funny, kinda smart, full of things we hide from to avoid thinking about death, illness, and suffering. I think the gist of the movie is, if we face what we are most afraid of, we find true happiness.
I briefly saw Viggo Mortensen penis, full frontal, so if you don't want your kids to see a penis, don't let them watch this movie, even though half the worlds population has a penis. The nudity in this movie wasn't gratuitous, it was used as a teaching regarding our societies need for nudity in the movies but not so much in real life.
After watching this movie I am going to celebrate Noam Chomsky's Birthday instead of the consumer driven Christmas Holiday season! Written and directed by Matt Ross, I swear Matt Ross read my mind and heart when he wrote the script for Captain Fantastic.
I love the rules Captain Fantastic has for his children, I won't give away all of them, just two...1. You must wear clothes at the dinner table, 2. You cannot use the word "interesting".
My favorite kid was Zaja, played by Shree Crooks, she likes knives and skeletons.
The question on how to be in this crazy man-made world and not become a branded product was the thesis, the ending of this movie was one mans effort to finding a way between our man made world and natures world.
The music in this movie gave me goosebumps, it fit right into the discourse and sometimes made me laugh and cry. I am buying the soundtrack.
The movie was filmed in the Pacific Northwest wilderness, I miss my home, Oklahoma is nice but it is not the Pacific rain forest. I can't wait to move back home and go for a hike in the high alpine forests and meadows of my beloved Cascades.