The Mosquito Coast

Allie Fox, an inventor, believes America is about to collapse, so he takes his family into the Central American jungle to build a world of his own. His big idea is manufacturing ice in the tropics. At first the village blesses him; then his stubbornness, his arrogance and his refusals bring down everything he built. His son Charlie narrates. Peter Weir directed from a screenplay by Paul Schrader, based on Paul Theroux's 1981 novel. Harrison Ford plays Allie, Helen Mirren his wife and River Phoenix plays Charlie, with Andre Gregory in the cast. It contains Butterfly McQueen's final feature role. The part was offered to Jack Nicholson first, who turned it down over money. The financing collapsed in pre-production and the project was suspended, coming back only after Ford's success with Weir on Witness made it possible through Saul Zaentz and Warner Bros. Against a 25 million dollar budget it took 14.3 million. The first reviews were mixed: Vincent Canby called it utterly flat and Ebert found the protagonist boring. Rotten Tomatoes now sits at 78 percent, with Ford's complex handling of an unlikeable man singled out. Weir and Ford missed the 1986 Academy Awards because they were shooting. Who it is for: viewers ready to watch a father figure who is sick rather than heroic. Who it is not for: anyone wanting Indiana Jones from Ford. This man puts his family in danger for an idea, and the film does not absolve him.