The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
The Mosquito Coast
Drama · Adventure · 1986
An inventor spurns his city life and moves his family into the jungles of Central America to make a utopia.
Movie details
The Mosquito Coast
“He never bargained for what he found.”
1986 Drama · Adventure 1h 59m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.3 / 10
Community rating
An inventor spurns his city life and moves his family into the jungles of Central America to make a utopia.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Mosquito Coast?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Where it lives
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Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Peter Weir
Written by
Paul Schrader
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
Court is in session
Put The Mosquito Coast on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.