Hunt for the Wilderpeople

2016

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Universal acclaimbased on 224 Ratings

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8.1

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Movie Details & Credits

Orchard, The | Release Date: June 24, 2016 | PG-13

Starring: Julian Dennison, Rachel House, Rima Te Wiata, Sam Neill

Summary: Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec, and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the… Expand

Director: Taika Waititi

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 101 min

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Critic Reviews

100

EmpireDan Jolin

Sep 13, 2016

A bit “Up,” a bit “Moonrise Kingdom,” a bit “Midnight Run,” even… Taika Waititi’s latest is an oddball treat of a mismatched-buddy pursuit move. Read full review

Edward Douglas

Jun 22, 2016

The best thing the director has going for this one is the talented young actor playing Ricky Baker, as he constantly tries to emulate his tough “gangsta” heroes like Tupac Shakur. (He even names his dog “Tupac.”) Read full review

Bill Goodykoontz

Jul 7, 2016

Long story short: Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a terrific movie and you should do whatever you can to see it. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Jun 23, 2016

Hunt for the Wilderpeople takes a troika of familiar story types — the plucky kid, the crusty geezer, the nurturing bosom — and strips them of cliché. Charming and funny, it is a drama masquerading as a comedy about an unloved boy whom nobody wants until someone says, Yes, I’ll love him. Read full review

Josh Kupecki

Jul 13, 2016

What elevates this conventional tale is how Waititi tells it. With sharp, nimble humor, and one-liners that come a mile a minute, Wilderpeople is a sweet story told with biting wit and an editing style that keeps things going at a rapid pace. Read full review

Tom Russo

Jun 29, 2016

Polished? Not exactly. Poignant? Definitely. Read full review

The GuardianNigel M Smith

Jan 27, 2016

As the proceedings grow increasingly more far-fetched, the story starts to feel thinner, any semblance of reality increasingly abandoned. What keeps Hunt for the Wilderpeople afloat are the full-blooded characters that populate it. Read full review

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8.1

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User Reviews

HectorInTheMorn

Jul 7, 2016

This is actually one of the best films of this year! the message was strong throughout, the acting was great, the cinematography is great, the story is great, the pacing is great, the characterization was great, and the directing was magnificent too. This movie will maybe gat academy award… Expand

Ivan665

Mar 14, 2017

Its a better adventure than the Hobbit. The drama is there, along with the retardedly fun moments. This movie will fill your soul with adventure, fun and sadness. Watch it.

superrev

May 11, 2020

this movie it’s really funny i watch it laughing all time it’s one of my favourite fims i suggest it.
you must see this film if you like comedy.
age +12

TVJerry

Sep 24, 2016

Writer/director Taika Waititi’s last film was “What We Do in the Shadows,” a zany vampire satire. This one is more grounded in reality, but it still has a few flights of fancy. It centers around a troubled boy in foster care who’s sent to live with a couple in the New Zealand countryside.… Expand

Bias

Nov 4, 2016

I’m listening to Strange Magic, right frickin now. That’s probably of no consequence to you, but I’m enjoying it and can’t help mentioning it. I also enjoyed this film last night quite a bit and I now want to say there is some ‘strange magic’ in this work, but I won’t because that would seem… Expand

Slovenly_Muse

Aug 23, 2018

Taika Waititi displays his unique brand of offbeat, affectionate charm in this touching film about love, loyalty, freedom, and found family.

bobmeier

Jul 29, 2016

I went to see this because of the great reviews on Metacritic. I never heard of this movie..it wasn’t mentioned in places like Film Comment, or anywhere else. What people raved about totally escaped me…while it was watchable, it was more like a Disney family film than great movie bait.… Expand

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