Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid and his foster uncle who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.

Director:

Taika Waititi

Writers:

Taika Waititi (screenplay), Barry Crump (based on the book "Wild Pork and Watercress" written by)

Stars:

Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata

22 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Neill	...	Hec
Julian Dennison	...	Ricky
Rima Te Wiata	...	Bella
Rachel House	...	Paula
Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne	...	Kahu
Oscar Kightley	...	Andy
Stan Walker	...	Ron
Mike Minogue	...	Joe
Cohen Holloway	...	Hugh
Rhys Darby	...	Psycho Sam
Troy Kingi	...	TK
Taika Waititi	...	Minister
Hamish Parkinson	...	Gavin
Stu Giles	...	Sick Man
Lloyd Scott	...	Tourist

Storyline

Bella and Hector, two reclusive country folk, become foster parents to Ricky, a problem child from the city. After some adjustment, things go reasonably well. However, the death of Bella means Hector now has to look after Ricky, and they didn't get along too well. Moreover, her death causes Child Services to decide to send Ricky back to the orphanage. Ricky refuses to go back and runs away, ultimately sparking a national manhunt for him and Hector.

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Plot Keywords:

coming of age | foster father foster son relationship | manhunt | new zealand | faked death | 

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Taglines:

Nature just got gangster

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements including violent content, and for some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 2016 (New Zealand)

Also Known As:

Lov na divljake

Filming Locations:

New Zealand

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$77,298, 26 June 2016

Gross USA:

$5,202,582

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,133,732

Company Credits

Production Co:

Piki Films, Defender Films, Curious Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the birthday scene, the cast and crew filmed ten takes singing the normal "Happy Birthday" song before finding out they didn't have the rights to use it. So the song "Ricky Baker, It's your Birthday" was created on the spot by the actors.

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Goofs

Ricky's dog attacks a wild boar by biting on its rear left leg - which then bends at a knee, revealing that this huge beast is just a man wearing a costume.

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Quotes

Ricky Baker: I'll never stop running!
Paula: Yeah, and I'll never stop chasing you - I'm relentless, I'm like the Terminator.
Ricky Baker: I'm more like the Terminator than you!
Paula: I said it first, you're more like Sarah Connor, and in the first movie too, before she could do chinups.

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Crazy Credits

The credits include sections headed "Wildercrew" and "Wildercast", with the latter including the subheading "Wilderdogs".

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Connections

Referenced in PWN: Best of 2016: PWN #12 (2017)

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Soundtracks

The Trifecta
Written by Rima Te Wiata (as R Te Wiata), Taika Waititi (as T. Waititi), Julian Dennison (as J. Dennison), Sam Neill (as S. Neill), Lukasz Pawel Buda (as L. Buda), Samuel Scott (as S. Scott) and Conrad Wedde (as C. Wedde)
Copyright Control / Native Tongue Music Publishing
Performed by Moniker

User Reviews

Conventional but enjoyable

Ricky (Julian Dennison) is an aboriginal, delinquent teenager who is transferred among foster homes in urban New Zealand. His newest foster assignment is in a farm near the wilderness. After a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, Ricky and the man of the house (Sam Neill) live in the bush as they are hunted down by government authorities.

There is an early disappointment in the film when a likeable, eccentric character disappears too soon. Also, the plot device of an "old grouch" unlikely bonding with a misunderstood teenage boy has been done many, many times before.

Despite these complaints, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" is still an enjoyable movie. This is mainly because of Dennison's and Neill's performances - both individually and in their mutual chemistry. The film also gives credibility to a repeated theme: that bureaucrats rarely (if ever) give outcasts the help they need but still try to dominate their lives. Near the end, there is also a nostalgic reminder of "Thelma and Louise".

With some good humour and the beauty of the New Zealand wilderness, this movie comes off as rather gratifying.