Rating: 
Summary: My friends stopped letting me pick our movies after this one
Review: So, I found this gem who knows where, and my friends thought it was one of the worst movies they'd ever seen. So, if you enjoy generic modern movies - fast-paced, dialog you don't have to pay attention to, sexy folks, thrilling drama, smart-alec humor, etc. - then I would avoid this one. HOWEVER, if you would like to see a movie that tests and proves false an old fallacy of ours - that of the noble savage - then it is well worth seeing. Ford plays a brilliant but misunderstood & underappreciated inventor that keeps thinking that modern civilization is the source of many evils. Therefore, he moves his family to the jungle in South America to live the simplified life with "innocent" tribal folks. In doing so, he tests the often-held ideal that indigenous tribes or remote civilizations hold pure values that we have lost. The way that the movie works out this theme is incredibly believable and thought-provoking. Ford's journey as his last hope is shattered is also worth seeing.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacking Plot Carried by Ford
Review: The stars I gave are for Harrison Ford's acting alone. He did a wonderful job in this role. I don't remember him winning an Oscar for this or anything ( if he did I don't remember ), but he deserved one. River Phoenix was surprisingly wasted. Usually River does wonderful in anything he's in but in this you didn't need him. If you like films like " The Beach ", and " Lord of the Flies ", where men turn insane in beautiful tropical areas you will love this film. Allie Fox ( Ford ) is an inventer sick of how America is being poisoned by little or no values. He walks around town raising hell and spewing nonsense with laid back son Charlie Fox ( River Phoenix ) by his side. Allie fusses, spits and carries on with how he hates America than packs up his family and rushes to Belize where he believes the world is just beginning. His wife, Mother ( Helen Mirren ) ( She's only known as " Mother " )and their other three children are shocked to see Allie's drug them to an empty, backwards part of Belize far away from civilization. He spits, spews and shouts until he's made a village with the islanders from his bare hands. He makes an enemy out of the nosey reverand who believes he is going against the church by taking the land from the islanders. Anyway, while the Foxes are enjoying nature after Allie invents a machine for ice and air conditioning, spanish men with guns show up and refuse to leave. In order to get rid of them Allie makes his son Charlie start a fire where the men sleep. That's when Allie's life goes down hill and he becomes even crazier. The men get killed. Allie accidentally destroys not only his invention, but the entire little village. By this time Allie is as demented as a serial killer. The family packs up and finds a beach. Suddenly he keeps his family prisoner. He becomes so crazy he feels they're going to turn on him. Allie begans destroying everything he doesn't agree with while risking his family's life along the way. And the only thing Helen Mirren's character says is: " Why are you doing this to us? " At that point the pity I felt for Mother was killed by her stupidity. The younger brother, Jerry was a great actor. River Phoenix was dry which was very disappointing. I haven't read the book yet but the plot didn't add up. Helen Mirren's part could have been written smarter. How could Allie Fox rant and rave and she not see that he is insane? Please! I could tell he was a nut before he took his family away from America. The fact that he refers to his own wife as Mother should have tipped the family off. In that aspect the film could have been better. How does a man completely fall apart and his family not realize it until he's almost dead? That killed the plot's chance of being decent. Without Harrison Ford's dynamic performance this movie wouldn't be as popular as it is now. It came out in 1986 when everyone thought the world revolved around River Phoenix and his " Stand by Me " pals. The film is entertaining thanks to Harrison Ford ( only ). Once again we suffer with horrible Martha Plimpton just because she and River were an item in real life. She was the most not needed character of all. Luckily she wasn't seen but twice. You can skip her scenes easily and save yourself the misery. Women may get offended at how stupid Helen Mirren's character actually is.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book if you like insanity, fair movie.
Review: Right now i have this ranked as HF's worst movie. Yes it is even worst than 6 days and 7 nights. I do preserve the 1 star rating for the totally bad movies, but HF is in it, hence 2 star here.
Rating:
Summary: ONE MAN'S JOURNEY INTO INSANITY
Review: Have you ever know a family who's members stay with an abusive father or husband? That explains the story in this movie. The family thinks they're in for an adventure. Turns out they're in for one man's idea of utopia that turns very sour. While the lead character (played by Harrison Ford) is a very creative and smart man, he's also ignores the needs and motivations of everyone around him, alienating everyone around him and ready to kill in the end out of mere jealousy. This movie has great acting by Harrison Ford as the crazy father and one of River Phoenix's best performances as the perplexed older son. Along with a great soundtrack from Maurice Jarre and excellent cinematography makes this movie a classic. This is not a typical Harrison Ford story like Star Wars or Raders of the lost arc. If that's what you had in mind don't bother with this one. The whole point of the plot is what happens when one man crams his idea of the world down everyones throat? You either get rebellion or in some sad cases like the Nazis in World War II a mad rush in the wrong direction based on some sort of twisted loyalty. One reviewer in this venue said they hated the movie and just wanted to slap Harrison Ford. Yes this is the point. This type of character should be hated! However, Harrison Ford is just playing the character (i.e hate the character not the actor). Another negative movie review said it was very boring. From my point of view if you think this movie is boring then you won't like most dramas and should stick with all out action adventure stories. That's my "two cents" any ways for what it's worth.
Rating:
Summary: A great survival adventure with an underlying meaning
Review: The Mosquito Coast is a thoroughly enjoyable film by Peter Weir that, while not perfect, manages to be entertaining through its complex characters in the midst of extraordinary situations. When inventor Allie Fox (Harrison Ford) decides to call America quits, he takes his family down to live off the land in Central America. While surviving in the harsh jungles, Fox's fervent belief in his ideals, reflected in the eyes of a religious fanatic running a nearby missionary, slowly tear his family apart. The story is like a modern Swiss Family Robinson, except the family is stranded by choice, not chance. It's this adventure quality that helps the film be so enjoyable, but it's also the complexity of Fox, a man you can't help but admire while despising, that keeps you riveted to the screen. Performances here by Ford as well as supporting actors including River Phoenix as his son are right on the money. The film serves as a commentary on how far is too far to follow your beliefs blindly, and the message comes out strong. If there's any major problem with The Mosquito Coast, it's that it's too short. It feels like we're missing some of the story at times, and that could be due to its adaptation from a longer novel. An additional 20 minutes could easily fill the gaps in the story and help create a better sense of the amount of time the fox's lived in the wild. But on the other hand, the ending seems to go on too long after what seems like the climax, and the film would have benefited from condensed events at that point. Despite these problems, The Mosquito Coast definitely doesn't fail as either entertaining or enlightening, and is well worth multiple viewings. Highly recommended for anyone who loves realistic outdoor survival films.
Rating: 
Summary: Once Bitten
Review: This is on my ten worst movies list and doesn't rate the star that one is required to insert in order to write a review. Heaven's Gate is number one on my list with no redeeming value as a movie. Mosquito Coast doesn't deserve the same rating because it has elements that make you want the film to be a success. The cast, the storyline, the location, the scenery are all great but the movie is just a flop. How anyone can give this a raving review is beyond me and I am compelled to write this in rebuttal. If you must, rent it but don't buy it. Plan on having a bad hair day, your car hyjacked, or losing your wallet after watching this. Nothing good can come of it.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Thought Provoking Movie.
Review: I saw this movie for the first time on videocassette in 1987. Watch the movie closely. I had to watch the film a number of times before I finally had gotten the message. The film is beating up on so-called "Christian" missionaries who go to third world countries and brainwash their followers into joining their cults. The movie was trying to equate such "missionaries" to this crazy Allie Fox character who brainwashed and manipulated the people of his town into accepting him as "Father".
Rating:
Summary: Riveting Performance by Harrison Ford
Review: Someone once said that ignorance is bliss; and if you follow through the reasoning process that leads to that conclusion, you discover that it is, indeed, true. Another way of saying it would be, that the less you know, the happier you are likely to be; kind of a "what you don't know can't hurt you" perspective, but true, nevertheless. Conversely then, what can be said about knowledge? About knowing too much? Can genius, for example, be equated with a life of torment? Can knowing-- and more precisely, understanding-- too much bring about anguish and unhappiness? The answer to that , of course, cannot be absolute, for there are a number of variables that must first be factored in, one of the most prevalent being that thin line that separates the true genius from madness, and how close to which side of that line the individual in question resides. It's a situation examined in depth by director Peter Weir, in his riveting, thought provoking drama, "The Mosquito Coast," starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren and River Phoenix. Allie Fox (Ford) is a family man; he has a devoted wife, "Mother (Mirren)," and four children, the eldest of whom, Charlie (Phoenix), thinks his dad is a genius. Which he is. Allie Fox is an inventor who believes it's man's job to tinker with an unfinished world and make it work. He is also a true individual, the epitome of the man who marches to his own drum-- and in his case, his drum is the "only" one he will march to. He sees such potential in everything around him, but he also sees that very same potential being wasted at every turn by seemingly everyone, from the average guy just trying to make a living, to a Corporate America he sees as the impetus that has already begun to destroy the nation. All around him he sees a country and a people that has lost that spirit that made America strong; he sees ruin and decay in everything: In the lack of quality in any and all manufactured goods, and in the apathy of the acquiescent consumer. And he's had enough. Refusing to stand by and watch America die, he packs up and moves his family to a remote section of a jungle in Central America, near the coast of La Moskitia; and it is there that he discovers a land, that to him, is paradise-- and where he also encounters the demons that plague those who know too much, and feel too deeply. Working from an intelligent and penetrating screenplay by Paul Schrader (adapted from the novel by Paul Theroux), Weir delivers a thoroughly engrossing character study that parallels Werner Herzog's 1972 masterpiece, "Aguirre, The Wrath of God," inasmuch as it examines the effects of self-perceived omnipotence in an individual driven to extreme measures by a singular quest for power and autonomy (albeit in different times and with different motives). Allie Fox, like Don Lope de Aguirre, becomes a victim of his own obsession, consequently victimizing those around him, as well, by losing sight of his own ideals and getting swept away in the current of a distorted sense of purpose. Allie leaves an environment he perceives as defective for one that is ultimately equally flawed-- that being the environs within his own mind. All of which is hauntingly presented by Weir, aided by John Seale and Maurice Jarre, whose cinematography and score, respectively, helps to create the atmosphere that so effectively underscores the drama of the story. As Allie Fox, Harrison Ford gives a performance that is one of his best and most powerful ever, affecting a commanding presence that dominates virtually every scene-- so compelling that his presence is felt even when he is absent from the screen. This isn't a character you are going to like, necessarily; and yet you are going to care about him, because there's something in him that reflects and addresses concerns that are universal, which makes Allie someone to whom many in the audience will be able to relate and identify. He's the man who believes that he truly "can" be an island unto himself, and beyond his personal peccadilloes, that is the kind of strength that demands admiration; for at the same time, it enables forgiveness. It's a solid portrayal of a man at cross purposes with himself, who realizes to some extent what he is doing, yet adamantly refuses to back down. And this is the man Ford brings to life so vividly; he's convincing, and his Allie Fox is disconcertingly real. Helen Mirren also turns in a memorable performance as Allie's devoted wife, whom he calls "Mother." Mirren says more without dialogue-- through a subtle expression, or even the merest glance-- than most actors do with a limitless number of words. And it's her moments of silence that are some of the most telling of the film, while at the same time adding strength to the lines she does recite. In the end, Mirren creates a character who chooses her words well, then uses them wisely-- and it's a portrayal that is, without question, one of the strengths of the film. In the way Mother looks at Allie, Mirren conveys that love and absolute loyalty that makes everything they do believable. There is complete trust there, which you can feel when, standing in her kitchen, for example, she gives a final glance at the dishes piled high in the sink; a glance at the life she's leaving behind to follow her husband. And she's happy. In it's simplicity and brevity, it's a powerful scene that says so much about who she is, and who "they" are. And Mirren makes it work beautifully. Phoenix does a solid job, too, providing the narrative of the film as Charlie. He is perfectly cast as Ford's son, and he succeeds in giving "The Mosquito Coast" that sense of reflection and perspective that makes it a truly memorable, and emotionally involving, film.
Rating:
Summary: It leaves lots of messages! V.Good!
Review: Well, I saw this movie in 1989 I believe. I rented it today Jan. 31st 2002. I understood it better although it touched my soul as it did before.
In order to feel it I think in an old traditional family when the father/husband/man was in charge of it. This family and specially his wife trusts him and admires him! This was key: to follow him in his gigantic adventure! There was not the typical individualism that makes couples split. I had a father who followed his dreams. Thanks to that I have a better understanding of the world and its needs! And let me tell you I have always been a very happy person who follows her dreams! In real life we meet husbands that appear to be sweet but are authoritarian in things like budgets or personal issues. They do not drive us to the jungle though teaching us something so great as to have dreams and that they can come true!
I love the movie.
Rating:
Summary: missing links--obviously based on a book
Review: This movie was nowhere near as good as the book. I'm surprised that anyone who read the book would think the movie's better. The movie's so unfulfilling because so much of the progression between events is left out. Instead the movie jumps from image to image in many places, as if a 5 second scene here and a 10 second scene there are enough to show how the family adapted to the environment--and, more importantly, adapted the environment to them. Of course, this is an insight that one could not have without reading the book and seeing how much was left out. There is a right way and a wrong way to adapt a book to the silver screen. This was the wrong way. If you insist on watching it, try reading the book first.
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