Captain Fantastic

— Viggo Mortensen does a great job, but I’m not sure I liked where the film (DVD) took me. Believe me, it has all the right variables--a bevy of precocious and cute kids, a recently widowed father who loves them dearly, and a universe off the grid in which they excel. Their home schooling has paid off—the oldest was easily accepted at all the Ivy League schools to which he applied—and they’re healthy as triathletes thanks to a daily routine reminiscent of military basic training. But for all that, they know nothing of surviving among other people, and they accept their father’s political and ethical convictions without question. Of course, there’s a wealthy grandfather (Frank Langella), eager to give them a more conventional upbringing, forcing kids and parent alike to choose. In the end, it appears there have been steps toward bringing the family back to civilization but by then, I had trouble liking Viggo Mortensen’s “Power to the people, stick it to the man” beliefs even though it was obvious I was supposed to. Instead, Frank Langella as “the man” seemed like a welcome voice of reason. The film is just too close to glorifying withdrawal and making placing blame acceptable, which it may be as an individual choice, but I’m not sure it is when you take six children with you.

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[2016, 118 min. Written and directed by Matt Ross. Starring Viggo Mortensen, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, and Frank Langella.]
https://filmandnuance.wordpress.com/2016/09/14/captain-fantastic-power-to-the-peoplestick-it-to-the-man/