The Mosquito Coast

Allie Fox is an American inventor who has grown disgusted with what he sees as the decay and consumerism of modern life in the United States. He uproots his wife and their children and takes them to the jungles of Central America, where he intends to build a self-sufficient community far from civilization. Relying on his own ingenuity, he turns their new surroundings into a working paradise. Over time, however, his determination hardens into something more controlling, and the family's dream of a fresh start becomes a struggle to survive both the jungle and Allie himself.

Peter Weir directed the film and produced it with Jerome Hellman, working from a screenplay by Paul Schrader. It was adapted from Paul Theroux's novel. The cast is led by Harrison Ford as Allie Fox, with Helen Mirren as his wife and River Phoenix, Jadrien Steele, Hilary Gordon and Rebecca Gordon as the children. The film was the seventh of thirteen Weir has directed, following Witness and preceding Dead Poets Society.

Released in November 1986, The Mosquito Coast cost about 25 million dollars to make and returned roughly 14 million worldwide, so it did not recover its budget in cinemas. Audiences remain divided: on IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from around 33,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.3 from about 550 votes. A critics' rating of 6.6 from 27 reviews places it close to the audience scores.