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Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa, Scott Bairstow, Frances Fisher, Jamey Sheridan ... see more see more... , Tracey Walter , Don Stroud , Zack Ward , Claudia Stedelin , Anastasia Spivey , Leighanne Wallace , Amy Lee Douglas , Danny Glover

Based on the true saga of the Stouffer brothers, this movie is an unusual combination of comedy film and nature documentary. In the 1960s in rural Arkansas, Marty Stouffer (Jamey Sheridan) grooms his ... read more read more...three sons to take over the family auto parts business. But the sons are more interested in animals, photography, racing cars and trucks, and impressing girls. Marty, Jr. (Scott Bairstow) and Mark (Devon Sawa) fight frequently with their stern father over his work demands and their yen for adventure. Finally, their mother Agnes (Frances Fisher) intercedes, and the patriarch agrees to let the two boys take a cross-country trip to film a nature documentary. The youngest son, Marshall (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), stows away in his brothers' van and joins them on their travels. They head west, encountering a variety of animals and surviving many dangerous scrapes. The brothers' wacky exploits contribute to a new kind of participatory nature cinematography. In real life, the Stouffer film was shown on national television in 1977, and all three brothers became documentarians and served as advisers on this film biography. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Flixster Users

58% liked it

43,188 ratings

Critics

16% liked it

19 critics

PG, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: William Dear

Release Date: July 2, 1997

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DVD Release Date: October 21, 1997

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Stats: 1,089 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,089)


  • December 31, 2011
    Wild America was a good little film with a decent cast, story and directing. This film isn't as bad as so many others have said it would be. The film has an interesting and fun story, and the cast is pretty good considering that overall they're not very good actors in general ter... read morems to begin with. Wild America is fun entertainment for the entire family to enjoy. There's a nice blend of comedy and drama that gives it a unique viewing experience, and like I said, the cast for what they do, do it well, despite the fact that most aren't good. I enjoyed the film and how it was different from other drama comedy films, and it was a flawed, but enjoyable film nonetheless. Wild America is adventure film that delivers some memorable comedic bits. Like every other comedy films, this film manages to be amusing and there are lots of good elements that people don't give credit to. This is a much better film than most people would care to admit, and I'm not a fan of the actors in question, but I give them credit for delivering something fun on-screen. If you're looking for an entertaining family film that has good laughs, adventure and a good story, this film is a good choice. Though flawed, Wild America is far from being a bad film, and I think it's fairly underrated, and deserves a bit more credit than all the flack it has received. This film is actually the best performances of Jonathan Taylor-Thomas and Devon Sawa who are overall bad actors. A must see for Adventure film fans looking for a good dose of comedy to boot.
  • August 15, 2010
    Cutesy kid movie, but I got a little bored half way through. But some really nice scenery!
  • March 28, 2010
    I love this in the fact that it's so much fun and a great story about brothers. The road story aspect also sets it apart from the majority of other coming of age dramas. I really thought the cast worked well together and made the biopic element come off a lot more accurate.
  • August 7, 2009
    oh yes, classic. JTT, Devon Sawa, and Scott Bairstow..... whos Scott Bairstow, you ask?? are you serious? forget it you wouldnt like this all they do is save a panda from being raped and watch tigers and stuff.
  • April 25, 2008
    Not a bad family movie. The kids all hold their own as actors and the story keeps you interested all the way to the end.
  • August 25, 2006
    Pretty good.
  • December 23, 2007
    Fantastic!
  • December 15, 2010
    This was pretty bad. If it wasn't for the horrible looking robotic animals, it would have been good stuff.
  • July 22, 2010
    This used to be my favorite movie a long time ago. This movie gave me an answer back then to what I wanted to be when I grew up: a Wildlife photographer.

    -flash forward to today, where I am older, wiser, more critical of movies, and now have no idea what I want o be when I gr... read moreew up. I still enjoy this movie. The one big knock on this movie are that it gets WAY too unbelievable towards the end. They could have toned it down a little bit and it still would have been entertaining to the average kid.

    I still find that this movie has a good message and acceptable plotline. It has some occasional intelligent humor now and then. Above all, it appeals to the rebel/ daredevil/ adventurer/ idiot/ dreamer in all of us. Not a must see, but it's decent.

    heck, even as a kid I had a good taste in movies. : )
  • December 18, 2009
    This was one of my favorite movie when I was little! I always thought that the one brother that had blonde hair was really cute : ) lol

Critic Reviews


Susan Wloszczyna
January 1, 2000
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

Wild America often feels like a MMMBop-ish Hanson brothers music video redone for the Discovery Channel.

Staci Layne Wilson
January 12, 2005
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com

Click to read the article. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 29, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Has all the spunk and humor of the old Hardy boys adventure stories. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Leonard Klady
October 18, 2008
Leonard Klady, Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

April 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

Click to read the article Full Review

Kevin Thomas
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Susan Stark
January 1, 2000
Susan Stark, Detroit News

Click to read the article Full Review

January 1, 2000
Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Wild America : Watch Free on TV


Wild America Trivia


  • Who played the 3 brothers in 'Wild America'?  Answer »
  • wat is the actor's name? (hint he starrs in all the movies below) Wild Wild _est The Pursu_t of Happyness Shark Ta_e A_i Bad Boy_ Ene_y of the State Made _n America Where the Day _akes you _itch  Answer »
  • Made In America Where The Day Takes You Six Degrees Of Separation The Legend Of Bagger Vance Wild Wild West Who am I?  Answer »
  • The movie Wild America was based on a true story.  Answer »

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