The Mosquito Coast
He never bargained for what he found.
After teaming up on Witness, Harrison Ford and director Peter Weir reunite for this adventure about utopia gone haywire. A movie icon as Star Wars' Han Solo and Indiana Jones, Ford here explores the dark side of heroism in a dynamically different role. He plays a brilliant inventor (nine patents, six pending) who leads his devoted wife (future Academy Award winner Helen Mirren) and four children into the remote jungles of Central America to carve out a new society, but instead faces the ultimate test of survival. River Phoenix (who would go on to play Young Indy in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and Martha Plimpton also star in this spellbinding adaptation (by Taxi Driver screenwriter Paul Schrader) of Paul Theroux's bestseller.
Member Reviews
Read the book - eoguy
I remember seeing this on TV and feeling confused. I read the book out of curiosity and loved every word. On that note I felt I should give the movie another chance. I was disappointed by the tone of the movie. In the book River Phoenix's character is terrified of his father. Harrison Ford comes off as a crackpot that just drags a passive family along. The dangers that they encounter seem just like natural disasters and not brought on by the father's craziness. This man is supposed to be a monster, not a harmless loon. If you are a Harrison Ford fan rent something else. If the story intrigues you read the book. As for the cinematography, it lifts this film about being a disaster and at least makes for something to look at while Ford chews the scenery.Interesting but lost - Fred_the_Philistine
Paul Thoreau, the author who wrote the novel on which this movie is based, is a great travel writer however he can get lost in plot when he's writing novels. Which is the problem here. The movie has some great characterization, an interesting concept and a ridiculous story line. It's fun to watch a father take his family from the conforts of life on a farm in the rural midwest U.S. to the wilds of the jungles in Central America (probably Belize) However, the massive cooling system he builds to air condition "his village" and provide ice for the natives is over the top. I don't want to spoil the story because it is worth a viewing if for nothing else than to enjoy gorgeous shots of jungle and a glimpse of life for people living a subsistence existence on the edge of civilization.Wild and weird - xenologue
Harrison Ford plays an ingenious inventor driven by his hatred of modern western society to take his family to Central America to start a new life. He descends from manic idealism to an increasingly narrow obsession with utilitarianism and control over his environment. If Harrison Ford seems relentless and unvaried, it is a function of the narrow view of his character. River Phoenix does a good job in this film as his stalwart son, faithful to his father for as long as he can manage. Andre Gregory (My Dinner With Andre) plays an incredibly one-dimensional missionary. There are moments in this film when you may not be able to help laughing, it's so preposterous. Yet it's fascinating, has interesting layers and is a great movie for discussion with friends.
Member Reviews
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Read the book - eoguy
I remember seeing this on TV and feeling confused. I read the book out of curiosity and loved every word. On that note I felt I should give the movie another chance. I was disappointed by the tone of the movie. In the book River Phoenix's character is terrified ...Interesting but lost - Fred_the_Philistine
Paul Thoreau, the author who wrote the novel on which this movie is based, is a great travel writer however he can get lost in plot when he's writing novels. Which is the problem here. The movie has some great characterization, an interesting concept and ...Wild and weird - xenologue
Harrison Ford plays an ingenious inventor driven by his hatred of modern western society to take his family to Central America to start a new life. He descends from manic idealism to an increasingly narrow obsession with utilitarianism and control over his ...