Movies can succeed in many ways, one of which is taking a dramatic story with troubling aspects and making a wacky comedy out of it.  That is what has occurred with Hunt for the Wilderpeople, a New Zealand production.  An adolescent boy, Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), is dropped off at a new foster home far from any town.  Soon Ricky is wandering through the bush with his new uncle Hec (Sam Neill) and soon after that they are on the run, as their story gains national attention.

Taika Waititi’s film upends all manner of story conventions and expectations, making fun of just about everything in the process.  Some dramatic moments are played straight, and very effectively, yet the film’s strength lies in its insistence that even the darkest aspects of its story are fodder for very human, comic sensibility.  Ricky’s situation borders on the tragic, and yet it is skillfully played for laughs as he rejects a society that constantly disappoints him and heads into the bush country.

It is important that the humor is not directed at Ricky, at least not constantly, but with him as he experiences the adventure of a lifetime.  His reluctant uncle Hec shepherds him through the New Zealand back country but always allows Ricky to set his own course.  The grumpy old man and the gangsta kid make an odd pairing but an endearing one.  The officials hunting them are portrayed in slapstick terms, but pretty funny ones.  And it all wraps up with a goofy car chase, which parodies old New Zealand TV commercials.

Overall Hunt for the Wilderpeople (as in people in the wilderness) is a charming movie with great scenic views of the land where the Lord of the Rings movies were filmed.  Some of the humor is rather crude, but much of it is quite amusing.  This is the type of film which is a little different for American audiences, but well worth the time.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  30 September 2016.