Captain Fantastic

"He prepared them for everything except the outside world."

2016 1h 59m EN

🙌

7.9

BANGER

★7.9TMDB · 7,001

DramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and enter the world, beginning a journey that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent.

“He prepared them for everything except the outside world.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Viggo Mortensen
Ben Cash
George MacKay
Bodevan Cash
Samantha Isler
Kielyr Cash
Annalise Basso
Vespyr Cash
Nicholas Hamilton
Rellian Cash
Shree Crooks
Zaja Cash
Charlie Shotwell
Nai Cash
Trin Miller
Leslie Abigail Cash

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Matt Ross
Writers: Matt Ross
Languages: Esperanto, 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

Made its money back 4.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Esperanto, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Matt Ross, shot by Stéphane Fontaine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Viggo Mortensen and George MacKay and Samantha Isler carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He prepared them for everything except the outside world.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Matt Ross directs. Stéphane Fontaine behind the camera. Alex Somers scores. Joseph Krings cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Esperanto, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.6× over at the box office.
2Released 10 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Esperanto, English.
4Directed by Matt Ross, shot by Stéphane Fontaine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alex Somers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joseph Krings shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Viggo Mortensen and George MacKay and Samantha Isler carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He prepared them for everything except the outside world.".
9IMDB entry: tt3553976 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 26 themes, including "parent child relationship", "new mexico", "socialism", "wilderness".

The technical file

Cinematography: Stéphane Fontaine
Original score: Alex Somers
Editing: Joseph Krings
Production design: Russell Barnes
Costume design: Courtney Hoffman
Makeup / hair: Betty D. Lawson
VFX supervisor: Brett Keyes
Sound: Frank Gaeta
Stunt coordinator: Al Goto
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $23,123,592
Return: 462% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Captain Fantastic (2016)

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Matt Ross

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2016-11-23
★ 7/10
While Viggo's character is most certainly the protagonist, he's also not portrayed as being 100% in the right. Which really is the best way to tackle the subject matter at hand. Final rating:★★★½ - I strongly recommend you make the time.
Reno2016-11-23
★ 8/10
Surviving isn't just a good education, but needs the physical training. This is from a supporting actor turned a director who is just one film old before this. So he wrote and directed this beautiful film. One of the best films of the years that should be in must see list. It was just like the film 'Alabama Moon', only the initial plot that extended for over the hundred minutes. The first thing is the cast, it was the best combination. Lots of future stars are here. It was more like a road movie, except in the opening few minutes. I did not like the entire film, I found a couple of things uncomfortable. Like the killing a deer in the opening scene and the end part. The conclusion was good, I thought it was the best solution for such a story, not for the theme. But then the final shot gave me an impression that they had got compromised. After all these years hard work, I felt they had given up. That did not stop me from enjoying it and recommending it to the others. Still, it is a very unique film that tried its best to avoid the usual cliché. This is the story of a father of six kids, raising them by his own outside the society in the wilderness. But the children are not left behind on the knowledge of the world, especially the philosophies theirs favourite topic. They are bright, as well as tough and can survive in any condition. One day when they get a message that their mother died, the journey begins to attend the funeral and during their way all the adventures are what we're going to witness. Due to the copyright issue the birthday song was altered. Surprisingly, the film was not based on any book. So my utmost appreciation goes to the creator of this wonderful product. Surely it will be a cult classic. It has lots of great dialogue, and bold revelations in a simple way about the facts of the world. Especially like related to the sex and other grown up stuffs clarifying the little kids' doubts. At some point I thought it was okay for the kids to watch with their parents, but it did not get better on that perspective. I mean having lots of main characters as children, the film is not good for their watch. Though the adults should not miss it, even though you are a religious person or any other kind. So highly recommended by me. 8/10
Cranialrock2025-04-15
★ 9/10
I immediately had to watch it again after just finishing! This movie leaves an impact! LOVED it!