Hunt for the Wilderpeople opens with a young man named Ricky being delivered to a foster home. It’s an uncomfortable situation, to say the least, but his foster mom Bella is a bright light in a very dark time. She lives in a rural part of New Zealand so Ricky has a lot to adjust to. She does everything she can to help Ricky. Hec, a surly old bushman that Bella has known forever is soon introduced and over the course of a journey that encompasses tragedy, misunderstanding, anger, forgiveness, and love, the Wilderpeople comes to life.

I can’t overstate how much I like this movie. Released in 2016, Wilderpeople is another notch on writer/director/producer/all-around-good-guy Taika Waititi’s belt. The man is a brilliant storyteller who excels at buddy movies. This movie is based on the book “Wild Pork and Watercress” by Barry Crump, so I can’t give all the credit to Waititi for coming up with the story but I can’t think of anyone who currently paints meaningful pictures with heart and humor better than he does.

Most of the movie is with Ricky (Julian Dennison) and Hec (Sam Neill) running through the bush of New Zealand so if they had no chemistry, the movie never would have worked. Most people will know Dennison from his foul-mouthed part in Deadpool 2. I can’t remember the last time I’ve watched Neill in a movie but this is a fantastic reminder of how great an actor he is. Together, they challenge each other to be better people without realizing it.

With the perfect mix of drama, comedy, and action, Hunt for the Wilderpeople is the movie to watch for any mood you’re in. As a matter of fact you should go watch it right now.