‘Uncle, you’re basically a criminal now...’
I find Julian Dennison really annoying. He’s probably a nice guy and all, but I just can’t stick him. He bothered me throughout Deadpool 2, and he made all of The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two unbearable. Any actor who is so clearly defined as ‘comic relief’ is going to struggle to make any headway with me. And so, Taiki Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople was up against it from the start, being as Dennison features in pretty much every scene…
Ricky (Dennison) is an annoying little brat who deserves no love from anyone. I don’t think that’s how the character is written, but that’s how Dennison plays him. When he is taken in by a kindly ‘aunt’ (Rima Te Wiata) and her cantankerous partner Hec (Sam Neill), Ricky must learn to adapt to a new way of life.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a bildungsroman, a fish out of water story and a road movie. It’s an odd couple comedy, a family drama and a crime caper. In short, there is a lot going on here, and it is a testament to Waititi’s ability as a filmmaker that he is able to tie all these disparate strands together into a satisfying whole. It helps that Sam Neill is absolutely wonderful throughout, and also that Waititi draws from an eclectic and entertaining mix of side characters along the way, but ultimately, Dennison holds the film back from being as good as Captain Fantastic say, or The Peanut Butter Falcon.
In a crowded field, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople is weird enough, and offbeat enough to justify 100 minutes of your time, but there are better films out there in this genre. And they don’t have Julian Dennison mugging his way through the whole thing either.