Wild America

I started making VHS tapes of Marty Stouffer's Wild America TV show as a young adult. Back then, the series was aired on the local PBS station. It became one of the shows I was most glad to support with my PBS membership.

If you liked the TV series as much as I, you will no doubt enjoy this movie about Marty and his brothers as well. Mark Stouffer worked with Marty on the TV series as an assistant director and Marty's wife and kids shared the spotlight with Marty at times as well. Mark has also done work on other television shows including some that have ties to nature like Wild America.

This movie is an absolute classic! It's Disney at its best for the wild at heart it is timeless. The relationship between the brothers makes the movie. Each character is beautifully woven and "real".

Inspired by imperfect but truly loving and good old American idealist parents, the boys leap out of the nest and clamor after their own dreams. It rings true to any wise parent, who knows that someday they will have to let go. Great movie for the whole family! A beautiful story of family ties, courage, perseverance and imperfect but admirable characters who each learn their very own lesson. It truly captures the essence of true American spirit! Watch for - The real Stouffer brothers who have cameos in the film as three "uncredited" ruffians (in the scene where the boys are driving to snow country).

Despite the three young actors being "teen idols," they pulled off really good chemistry throughout the film. My primary faults with the film are not with the acting at all, but with the screenplay. Because of the writer's desire to put everything possible into one movie, he sabotaged its overall effectiveness. Is this a classic teen idol flick? Is it a nature film? Is it comedy/drama/action? It's really hard to say, as it doesn't succeed as any of the above! There are too many side-plots -- does the owl really need to be there? Or Leon? Or the man in the mountain? There are too many relationships given just a hint of substance, such as that with Mom, the town bully, the local girls, the college girls... In addition, Mark's character has little opportunity to develop, and the other boys leave a great deal to the imagination. And I ask you, is it necessary for Marshall to have three different nicknames? This is, unfortunately, one more movie that could have been really great. As it is, it is a fun film without enough substance.

On a side note, is there any particular reason that only one of the Stouffer brothers was involved in producing the show? I find that a little odd, myself.

Although this is an old movie, I just saw it on television for the first time. It is a great Saturday afternoon movie to watch with kids. I didn't remember Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Weiss) in any other shows, but he has a very commanding presence on screen. The director really knew how capture his very cherub face with his captivating blond hair and haunting blue eyes.For a while I was just mesmerized watching how he moved throughout the film. I could actually 'see' his maturity and growth as he encountered many antics with his brothers. It was very believable and the theme is definitely something I would encourage my students to evaluate and analyze as their own lives reflect some of the same things these young men experienced. It had action, adventure, love and caring parents -for once! The family structure was secure and I was happy to see that. Our kids see so much violence and family destruction- they need to see something positive. I will definitely add this one to my list of videos my students can watch.

When I heard that Jonathan Taylor Thomas was doing a movie with Devon Sawa at the height of my teenybopper stage, needless to say I was excited. The weird thing is that I still love this movie now. The plot follows the three Stouffer brothers, Marty, Mark, and Marshall, following their dreams to get out of their small town and dead-end future as mechanics and go out and film animals. Not just any animals, though, the "biggest bad-a**es of the animal kingdom," which results in a few thrilling, sometimes comic adventures for the three brothers. The brothers want the piece de resistance of their film to be an infamous cave where a group of bears are reputed to sleep together, the rumor that actually starts their trip and leads to the biggest adventure of all. This movie is full of hope that dreams can come true, as cheesy as that sounds, and is even better as it is a true story based on the naturalists behind Wild America. Great shots of animals, as well (not counting fake bear suits).