Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Mon, July 13, 2026

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

2016 · 1hr 41min · PG-13
Metacritic · IMDb · iTunes · Netflix · Amazon

Such a fantastic, and thin, line separates a movie like this from Napoleon Dynamite or The Royal Tenenbaums: embracing your characters sincerely, rather than regarding them at arm's length with a smirk. posted 01.28.17

Also Viewed:

Mon 07.13.26

The script is sweet with a great adventure, and Dennison is terrific of course, but it’d all fall apart without the sensitive and restrained performance from the late, magnificent Sam Neill. He keeps Hec’s humanity just below the surface of his grouchiness from the start—preventing you from losing faith in him, and making it easy for your affection to grow as the story unfolds.

1 Comment (Add your comments)

Bee Boy — Tue, 7/14/26 4:57pm

The swipe at Tenenbaums was unfair, and I should’ve held it back. I was only a week out from an uneasy viewing of that film (always one I’ve struggled to embrace, but especially 12 hours into an all-day movie marathon—which is highly enjoyable but nonetheless exhausting), and this felt like a breath of fresh air.

I’m still no Royal Tenenbaums superfan, but I never should have lumped it in with Napoleon Dynamite. Bad form.

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