Is Captain Fantastic Oscar Worthy? Many Critics Say Yes

Ben is a father raising six exceptional children in the forest — lovingly drilling them in survival skills, athletics, philosophy, and free thinking.

However this ideal (if radical) existence is fractured by the suicide of Ben’s wife, who’d been hospitalized for bipolar disorder. Her conservative father (played by Frank Langella) threatens Ben with arrest if he dares attend her funeral. Nevertheless, the extraordinary brood pile into their family bus and embark on a quest of healing and an awkward reunion with a world from which they have long lived apart. As Ben, Viggo Mortensen heads up a young cast of stars-in-the-making. THE WORD: The most delightful aspect of this funny, touching, highly unconventional film is the beauty of the family’s atypical lifestyle, a stark contrast with traditional all-American “normalcy.”COMING TO: Home Video