The Mosquito Coast

Play trailer

The Mosquito Coast

PG

Released Nov 26, 1986

1h 58m

Adventure

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

As devastating as it is unforgettable.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 16, 2024

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Read all reviews

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Peter Weir

Director

Harrison Ford

Allie Fox

Helen Mirren

Mother Fox

River Phoenix

Charlie Fox

Jadrien Steele

Jerry Fox

Hilary Gordon

April Fox

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Sorcerer

82%

83%

Sorcerer

Watchlist

The Bounty

74%

73%

The Bounty

Watchlist

The Amazing Panda Adventure

33%

41%

The Amazing Panda Adventure

Watchlist

Never Cry Wolf

100%

84%

Never Cry Wolf

Watchlist

The Great Waldo Pepper

67%

58%

The Great Waldo Pepper

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Mosquito Coast Star Justin Theroux Plucked Elements of His Antihero from Family, Including the Book’s Author

Pacino Dives into Ocean’s Gang

Depp, Weir & Roth to Visit "Shantaram"

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now