Apparently New Zealand has jokes to go along with its Lord of the Rings (LOTR) smorgasbord. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a really funny buddy comedy taking place in those LOTR backwoods. Maybe Frodo would have solved his problem more quickly if Ricky (Julian Dennison) and Hec (Sam Neill) had his back.
Ricky is your typical wanna-be hardass street orphan: loves Tupac, wishes to die in a maelstrom of bullets, etc. He gets adopted unwillingly by Hec, and willingly by Aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata), who live far away from Ricky’s city life. Ricky, however, blossoms because of sweet Aunt Bella and the freedom of the woods. When tragedy strikes, Hec and Ricky depart deep into the bush to get away from it all. However, Paula (Rachel House), the child services rep, will stop at nothing to set this situation right, one way or another.
This movie has lots of fun with irony or fishes out of water played straight. Each character has polar opposite characteristics that merge together in fun ways. Ricky has been so raised on 90’s US rap culture that he names his dog Tupac, but he also will talk about writing haikus and processing grief. Hec is a very world smart illiterate; Aunt Bella writes piano songs after gutting a pig for dinner. Hell, even Paula is a child services rep that also wants to be a war general. In addition, these character opposites clash with each other in very funny ways because everyone plays it straight. I laughed every time General Paula said “No Child Left Behind” 100% meaning it, and Hec and Ricky make these proclamations that are delivered with the utmost sincerity but provide 100% humor because of how nonsensical they sound. These polar meldings keep the tone lighter than the somewhat bleak material wants the story to go, and makes the movie more fun and absurd as it bounds to its crazy solution. Plus the straightforward delivery of every line keeps the movie grounded with its characters.
Sam Neill hasn’t been this good since Jurassic Park. Making Neill the quiet curmudgeon is a great choice for writer/director Taika Waititi. Neill’s persona reeks of importance when he speaks, and Waititi writes and directs Neill to elicit the best out of the guy (he can act scared across from nothing very well). This pairs well with motormouthed Julian Dennison, the clear breakout of Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Ricky is immediately interesting because of his wordless entry into the farm. But Dennison is better when Ricky opens up and doesn’t stop talking. He does a great job portraying Ricky’s earnest happiness at his newfound freedom, and his growing excitement as he realizes he’s being hunted and become famous. I’m excited with what else Dennison tries to do going forward. Of the supporting players, the two women shine. Rima Te Wiata is great with probably less than 10 minutes of screen time, establishing a lovely but tough woman ready for a kid. Rachel House has fun playing a doofus who’s bought into the nonsense her job has fed her.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a good intro for me to writer/director Taika Waititi. The guy is really good at establishing characters in his home country (and playing terrible priests); it gives me hope he can direct the next Thor Marvel movie. Hemsworth is from neighboring Australia, don’t forget.