his place is a toilet!” Although a brilliant inventor, Allie Fox (Harrison Ford) is a jingoist and racist (selectively), fervently against the influx of foreign people and products, and certain that a war is coming (he’s always worried about something, like an inevitable nuclear holocaust). And he’s also terrible at doing simple jobs for employers, as he’s continually concerned with bigger and better concoctions that aren’t the right fit. Nevertheless, his two young sons, Charlie (River Phoenix) and Jerry (Jadrien Steele), look up to him; his lessons about creativity and dreaming aren’t without some value.

“This country is going to the dogs.” In his latest harebrained scheme, Allie determines to leave the United States altogether, spontaneously uprooting his family (including his wife, played by Helen Mirren, along with two little twin daughters) to head for La Mosquitia, the Mosquito Coast, where his inventions might be appreciated amongst the stone-age-like jungle inhabitants. Aboard the ship that takes them to Central America, the Fox family meets missionary Reverend Spellgood (Andre Gregory) and his daughter, Emily (Martha Plimpton), who warn them about the difficulties of life in such a terrain. But all Allie sees – at first – is a paradise in which excitement and adventure awaits.

Teaming up once again with director Peter Weir (after having collaborated on “Witness”), this time working from Paul Schrader’s script, adapted from the Paul Theroux novel, yet another striking culture clash is on display. With unbridled enthusiasm, the Fox clan tackles the many hurdles of building a life in a sweltering jungle, virtually building a town from scratch, while also contending with the intrusions of religion, pointedly personified by the return of Spellgood. With an exceptional attention to detail and superb acting, the stage is set for an entirely believable, authentically visualized foray into the rise and fall of a man’s vision for transforming a primitive village into a productive factory of miraculous modern thermodynamics. But how far can goodwill and unheard-of technology go in a land of friendly savages? And what is the quality of education and life for Allie’s family, who may not be cut out for living off the land and contending with its hostilities?

“This is what I’ve always dreamed about!” Carefully paced like Weir’s prior endeavors, with an unrestrictive, unassuming score by Maurice Jarre, “The Mosquito Coast” relishes in subtle thrills, embracing realistic conflicts and solutions with exquisitely realistic consequences. Ultimately, it is Allie’s own obsession with his personal definition of freedom and independence (and his hubris in self-reliance) that spells his downfall; it’s one thing to never know modern conveniences, but it’s another to have it and abandon it, especially when children are involved. Something of a reimagining of “Robinson Crusoe” merged with “The Caine Mutiny” (while coincidentally paralleling concepts from “The Mission”), the film is routinely engaging, even while running overlong and remaining thematically aggravating; witnessing a family torn apart by poor decisions (and weak-willed complicity) and heightened arrogance is as upsetting as it is entertaining. And in the end, it’s as devastating as it is unforgettable.

– Mike Massie