Overview
A family's unconventional way of life is put to the test when tragedy strikes, forcing them to confront the world they have long avoided.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- warm
- melancholic
- reflective weekend viewing
- road movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Viggo Mortensen’s nuanced lead performance, the young ensemble, and the film’s thought-provoking family and social themes, while some found its treatment of Ben insufficiently skeptical and its sentiment overly forced.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ben and Leslie raise their children off the grid through survival training, homeschooling, and socialist principles.
Ben’s survivalist and anti-capitalist methods are challenged by Jack, the children, and their encounters with conventional society.
The Cash family leaves its mountain cabin and travels through commercial America while pursuing Leslie’s final wishes.
The family’s irreverent behavior and comic clashes coexist with mourning Leslie and confronting her bipolar disorder and suicide.
Films like Captain Fantastic, and why
The Mosquito Coast
shared off-grid family life, parental idealism, and moral conflict over raising children outside mainstream society
Leave No Trace
shared wilderness survival training, family bonds, and a parent confronting the consequences of radical self-reliance
Little Miss Sunshine
shared road movie structure, unconventional family dynamics, grief, and bittersweet emotional warmth
The Glass Castle
shared coming-of-age tensions, alternative education, and conflict between idealistic parenting and social institutions
Movie Details
- Director
- Matt Ross
- Release Date
- 2016-07-08
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 7.9 / 10 (6986)
Cast
- Viggo Mortensen
- George MacKay
- Samantha Isler
- Annalise Basso
- Nicholas Hamilton
- Shree Crooks
- Charlie Shotwell
- Trin Miller
- Frank Langella
- Ann Dowd
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Captain Fantastic about?
- An off-grid father and his fiercely educated children confront grief, social conformity, and the limits of ideological self-reliance.
- What is Captain Fantastic like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Captain Fantastic as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Captain Fantastic violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Captain Fantastic as mild.
- What did critics think of Captain Fantastic?
- Critics broadly praised Viggo Mortensen’s nuanced lead performance, the young ensemble, and the film’s thought-provoking family and social themes, while some found its treatment of Ben insufficiently skeptical and its sentiment overly forced.
- Which films are like Captain Fantastic?
- Films with a similar feel include The Mosquito Coast, Leave No Trace, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Glass Castle.
- How long is Captain Fantastic?
- Captain Fantastic runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch Captain Fantastic?
- In United States, Captain Fantastic is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
