Last Sunday evening, we watched Captain Fantastic. I’d been avoiding the movie (the word-of-mouth reviews hadn’t been that great), but then Sunday night arrived and there we were without something to watch so when Captain Fantastic popped up on Amazon streaming, we went with it. 

Here are my notes.

Summary: I thought, based on comments I heard prior to watching, that this movie was about homeschooling. Instead, I was surprised to discover, it had very little to do with homeschooling and much more to do with mental illness, living off-the-grid, shattered dreams, and family relationships.

Analysis: The father appears to be motivated by thoughtful, outside-the-box thinking, but he is actually driven by fear: If he can protect his children, successfully train them to be strong and independent, he believes he will save them from the depression that took his wife’s life. He never says that of course. That’s just me reading between the lines.

Unfortunately, the movie only skims the surface of these complex issues, rendering the whole (potentially intriguing) story trite. The acting is solid, but the characters are underdeveloped and the plot riddled with inconsistencies. Instead of resonating with viewers (we kept laughing at the characters, not with them, and my poor husband was in agony: “How many more minutes till this is over?”), the movie ends up feeling preposterous.

Conclusion: Captain Fantastic is a cross between Little Miss Sunshine, but without the nuance, and Glass Castle (the book; the movie’s coming out soon), but without the authenticity. However, the movie did make me think—and even write an entire blog post on the matter!—so there’s that.

And then one of my husband’s co-workers said he found it refreshing—so many movies are extreme and unrealistic, but this one was at least extreme and unrealistic in the opposite direction. Which is a valid point.

Have you seen the movie? I’d love to hear your take.

PS. If you wish to dig deeper, here is a more nuanced analysis.

This same time, years previous: dance party, the quotidian (7.27.15), rest and play, the girl and the tea party, classic bran muffins, banana bran muffins, Indian pilaf of rice and split peas, Grace’s gingerbread.

When we were in Pennsylvania for our Christmas family gathering, I noticed that my cousin Zoe was proofing her bread dough in gorgeous, oblong, homemade baskets. I raved, of course, and then Zoe promptly went to her pantry, plucked a proofing basket from the shelf, and said, “Here, take this. It’s an extra.” 

And then I said, if she was going to make more, I’d like to buy another one so I’d have a pair. Of course, she said. But you’ll have to wait until I get more clothesline rope. (Because that’s what she uses to make the baskets, and she only gets it from thrift stores.)

Five long months passed and then, when we hosted the family gathering this summer, she brought me my basket, plus two more—sturdy round ones—and she wouldn’t take any money! It was a hostess gift, she said.

Well, tickle me pink.

Both kinds of baskets, the oblong and the round ones, work beautifully, but I’m particularly partial to the long ovals which fit more easily into the fridge and sit so nice and pretty on the baking stone. The baskets are pliable, so when dumping the dough onto the baking sheet, they can be semi-inverted.

All the baskets are easy to take care of. Before using, just shake out any excess flour and crumbs and then dust heavily with fresh flour. After using, tap out the excess flour and squirrel them away in the cupboard. That’s it!

When I began this post, I planned to link to Zoe’s Etsy page so that y’all could get yourselves some Zoe Baskets. But alas, alack, Zoe’s supply of thriftstore clothesline has dwindled and she’s no longer making the baskets. Which makes this whole post is kind of anticlimactic. My apologies.

But! There are options! You can either purchase a proofing basket here or you could turn Zoe-esque and make your own. Either way, do pop into her shop and look around. I strongly suggest you snatch up some of her killer hot pads on your way out.

This same time, years previous: the quotidian (7.25.16), we’re back!, the boy and the tooth, chocolate mint ice cream cone cake, roasted corn with lime and feta, spicy Indian potatoes, blackberry cobbler.

This same time, years previous: vegetarian groundnut stew, a riding lesson, rellenitos, the quotidian (7.23.12), pumpkin seed pesto, cucumber lemon water, limeade concentrate, braised cabbage.