Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky

Play trailer Poster for The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky PG 1995 1h 37m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 0 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
When Mac (Jerry O'Connell) goes to the northwestern Montana wilderness to join the National Forest Service as a ranger in 1919, he is little more than a cocksure 17-year-old, but his tough-as-nails boss, Bill Bell (Sam Elliott), sees to it that he becomes a man. Since Bell has a reputation for being the best ranger, Mac wants nothing more than to follow in his idol's footsteps -- though it often leads to some missteps. As time passes, the two develop a friendship, but Mac has much to learn.
Watch on Prime Video Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky

Audience Reviews

View All (17) audience reviews
Stephen B This isn’t high art. It honestly seemed like an after school special. It was however a very watchable and enjoyable plot. Don’t go in expecting a Martin Scorsese film. It is a simple coming of age story of a young man in the mountains just after the First World War. It is also kid friendly. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/25 Full Review Paula F I’m from the Bitterroot Valley- home town of Hamilton and the geographic dialogue pushed it to 4* add the stashless STASH and O’connel got the extra * , BC is beautiful country and the movies location even looked like the ‘root’ - good job … It’s far from a comedy genre wise Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/29/25 Full Review Bill P I am a Forester, not of the era of tis film, but close enough. It is a reasonably accurate depiction of early 1900 forest service life — except maybe the cook. Early Forest Rangers were expected to know how to make coffee and bake biscuits, and would be tested on those skills. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/01/25 Full Review Mike D A good movie for the family or a young middle school history classroom. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/25/23 Full Review Audience Member A decent watch; however, one cannot escape the feeling that this is a four part series with three parts missing. Much was left on the table with this effort, do not expect another Lonesome Dove. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member this one is reallly good to Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All Cast and Crew

John Kent Harrison

Director

Sam Elliott

Bill Bell

Jerry O'Connell

Mac

Ricky Jay

Hawkes

Molly Parker

Sue

Don S. Davis

Mr. Smith
View All The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky photos

The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky

The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky (1995) The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky (1995) The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky (1995) The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky (1995) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When Mac (Jerry O'Connell) goes to the northwestern Montana wilderness to join the National Forest Service as a ranger in 1919, he is little more than a cocksure 17-year-old, but his tough-as-nails boss, Bill Bell (Sam Elliott), sees to it that he becomes a man. Since Bell has a reputation for being the best ranger, Mac wants nothing more than to follow in his idol's footsteps -- though it often leads to some missteps. As time passes, the two develop a friendship, but Mac has much to learn.
Director
John Kent Harrison
Producer
Brent Shields
Screenwriter
Robert Wayne
Production Co
Signboard Hill Productions
Rating
PG, TV-PG
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 25, 2017
Runtime
1h 37m
Most Popular at Home Now