The Mosquito Coast

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The Mosquito Coast

PG

Released Nov 26, 1986

1h 58m

Adventure

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

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27 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A brilliant but unstable inventor and his family create what they hope will be their Utopia in Central America.

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Critics Consensus

Harrison Ford capably tackles a tough, unlikable role, producing a fascinating and strange character study.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

I'm afraid that this ambitious movie is a complete disaster -- monomaniacal, tiresome, pointless, and, for all its devotion to the great outdoors, surprisingly claustrophobic.

May 18, 2023

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The movie has been directed and acted so well, in fact, that almost all my questions have to do with the script: Why was the hero made so uncompromisingly hateful?

Rated: 2/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

long with a clever and complex performance by Harrison Ford, that ambition makes for a movie that is deeply flawed, but undeniably powerful.

Jan 1, 2000

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

As devastating as it is unforgettable.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 16, 2024

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

It's a beautifully-made film, to be sure, with Weir's trademark use of space to define the characters, but it's a hard watch, given that Allie is such a deeply unsympathetic character.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 20, 2024

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

Ford is surprisingly convincing as the outwardly charming control freak, while River Phoenix gives a portrayal beyond his years as his troubled son.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 7, 2024

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Anthony S

A hugely underrated movie Harrison Ford gives a superb performance of a very complicated man who it's very hard to like. Helen Mirren also puts in a strong performance as his kong suffering wife who struggles to cope with her husband's decent into madness. If you haven't seen this movie ignore what the Media critics say I did and discovered a really engrossing film that I have revisited several times.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/24

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Alec B

Arguably Ford's best performance. I think the reason the movie is still not well liked in some circles is because his character is so deeply unlikable and the script plays against his star power. Also the movie doesn't indulge the fantasy of rejecting modernity which audiences won't easily forgive.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/28/24

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Montague J

A fascinating film. Its critique of the U.S. in the 80's still rings true, explained by a charmingly frantic Harrison Ford. It doesn't totally work as a whole, but it's an interesting ride.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/08/24

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Dennis D

This is what I remember about this film. I couldn't watch it all the way through. It was horrible back then as it is today. One of the few movies that I stop watching, going on 40 years.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/25/23

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Stefano L

Gutwrenching adventure-gone-wrong family yarn - the twisted flipside of Swiss Family Robinson. Extremely true to the celebrated novel, but with more warmth and humanity. River Phoenix unfurls an understated Oscar-worthy performance as he watches his father methodically get lost in an egotistical mentally-ill maze of his own making. Hits you in the stomach and the heart - MANDATORY VIEWING FOR ANY CHILDREN OF HARD-CORE PREPPERS!!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/24

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John R

This movie really takes its time to make you sit in the world that Allie Fox creates. It's almost atmospheric in that way. Harrison Ford is enthralling, especially when what you know him from is primarily Star Wars. He experiences his own personal Heart of Darkness and pulls his family along with him. I can't say that I loved this movie, but it was way too interesting to write off.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/02/23

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Peter Weir

Director

Harrison Ford

Allie Fox

Helen Mirren

Mother Fox

River Phoenix

Charlie Fox

Jadrien Steele

Jerry Fox

Hilary Gordon

April Fox

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Synopsis

A brilliant but unstable inventor and his family create what they hope will be their Utopia in Central America.

Director: Peter Weir
Producer: Jerome Hellman
Screenwriter: Paul Schrader
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 26, 1986, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.9M
Runtime: 1h 58m
Sound Mix: Surround

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