The Mosquito Coast

"He never bargained for what he found."

1986 1h 59m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🍅

78%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 552🍅78%Rotten Tomatoes●51Metacritic★6.6IMDB · 32,814

DramaAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An inventor spurns his city life and moves his family into the jungles of Central America to make a utopia.

“He never bargained for what he found.”

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Cast

Harrison Ford
Allie Fox
Helen Mirren
Mother Fox
River Phoenix
Charlie Fox
Jadrien Steele
Jerry Fox
Hilary Gordon
April Fox
Rebecca Gordon
Clover Fox
Jason Alexander
Hardware Clerk
Dick O'Neill
Mr. Polski

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Weir
Writers: Paul Schrader
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 57% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Weir, shot by John Seale. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Maurice Jarre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Thom Noble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren and River Phoenix carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He never bargained for what he found.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0091557 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Weir directs. John Seale behind the camera. Maurice Jarre scores. Thom Noble cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 57% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Peter Weir, shot by John Seale. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Maurice Jarre. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Thom Noble shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren and River Phoenix carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "He never bargained for what he found.".
8IMDB entry: tt0091557 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "paradise", "based on novel or book", "idealism", "exit".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Seale
Original score: Maurice Jarre
Editing: Thom Noble
Production design: John Stoddart
Costume design: Gary Jones
Makeup / hair: Judy Lovell
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $14,302,779
Return: 57% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Rotten Tomatoes: 78% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 51/100
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 32,814 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

1 win & 3 nominations total

Also by

Peter Weir

Stills · wallpapers

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb395137282015-02-04
Disney for Anarchists Before there was a McConaissance there was a Harrisance, That's right, you heard right: Harrisance. Within a few years in the 1980's Harrison da Chicago lead what was arguably the greatest adventure movie ever mounted, and possibly the best science fiction movie ever launched. He was also featured in that adorable little Star Wars trilogy. Not to mention a slew of fine movies like Presumed Innocent, Frantic, the Fugitive, and two thrillers as Jack Ryan. Among my favourite movies from the Harrisance period (if I keep saying it, it will be a thing) were two directed by Peter Weir, an Aussie who never met a cultural clash he didn't want to shoot. Weir directed a couple of American films and chose the right man to lead them. Witness was well-liked and had a righteously tough Harrison cop defending the Amish. But in my opinion, Mosquito Coast was better. Look at the headliners. Harrison Ford , Helen Mirren, River Pheonix, from a story by Paul Theroux, scripted by Paul (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) Schrader. The jaded Film Critics at the time weren't exactly blown away by the movie's ambitious scope but liked the way Harrison could play an anti-hero. What's so anti about him? He was great! I wish he was my dad. I would have loved to go on an escapist adventure with a genius inventor father who had grand visions of erecting a new utopia in the forests of Belize by manufacturing ice in the tropics. Okay, maybe he went too far. Got a bit swollen-headed and delirious. Became the patriarchal tyrant he was running away from. But that was from the rage he felt when realizing that while (in the 1980's) he might be able to elude multinational greed, he can't escape human avarice. O the tragedy of humans

Production companies