In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Saturday 24 September 2016

HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE [2016]

Kiwi director Taika Waititi's delightfully hilarious wilderness comedy Hunt for the Wilderpeople is the type of film where once you start grinning you just don't stop until it's long over.
It's a simple story about an orphaned troublemaker and his foster uncle go into hiding in the New Zealand bush as they find themselves at the center of a national manhunt.
It's a pretty low-key little film but it manages to be consistently funny, surprisingly touching and all around good for the soul with it's tale of two lost souls teaching each other a thing or two about themselves.  There might be plenty of kiwi in-jokes but it stands with enough honest sincerity, belly  chuckling warmth and universally funny moments it can be enjoyed from all over the world.

4 haikus out of 5

2 comments:

budarc said...

I enjoyed this one quite a bit, even knowing nothing of kiwi culture. It was just a fun little journey with entertaining characters and a delightful sense of purpose. It's interesting that "people going out into nature" films have quickly become my favorite type of movie. I could list off a dozen or so in the past couple of years that I really enjoyed.

Plus the soundtrack was an added treat. Oh, and Psycho Sam stole the show.

majestical views out of 5

P.S. I even went back and watched the rest of Taika Waititi's filmography. Eagle vs Shark was another fun one.

cuckoo said...

I really enjoyed it too.
I was afraid it might disappoint after all the acclaim and "film-nerd" hype it's received...but it thankfully delivered.

The soundtrack's great. As soon as I heard the opening music I thought "bud is gonna love this too". XD

EvS is wonderful too.
Boy is the first of Waititi's I saw so it holds dearest to me.
I plan on getting to them both in the very near future.