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:

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Filming Locations:

New Zealand

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$78,439, 26 June 2016

Gross USA:

$5,205,468

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,591,592

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

The song that Ricky was dancing to as he listened to his Walkman was Magic What She Do by Dave Dobbyn.

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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

Bella: [to Ricky] What you wanna do, you hungry? That's a silly question, isn't it? Look at you.

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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

Features Breakfast (2002)

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Soundtracks

Sinnerman
Traditional, arranged by Nina Simone
[Incorrectly attributed as written by Nina Simone]
(c) 1965 WB Music Corp.
By kind permission of Warner/Chappell Music Australia Pty Ltd
Performed by Nina Simone
Courtesy of Universal Music New Zealand

User Reviews

I find it impossible to fault

A brilliant funny movie that still respects the sadness that happens in life but tries to show you that fun and laughter can still be our main focus.

I think this is the best so far of Taika Waititi's films and recommend it to anyone to see. I saw it after a long-tiring week at work and I half expected to nod off in the cinema theatre because I was so tired. But I didn't. I laughed and chuckled most of the way through the film and came away re-energized and very happy I had gone.

Would see again if the opportunity came up, which is likely as most of my friends are raving about it and a few are wanting me to go with them to see it again!