I thought this flick was great fun. I thought the acting was pretty decent and not as bad as other people say. Sure, the three leads are all teen idols, but I am not going to knock their performances because of that. Still, I continue to enjoy this flick, and always will

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.

I recently watched this movie on a Sunny Sunday morning whilst in bed, sounds very ideological, but is true. I must say I do not believe it is all that bad. OK at times the screenplay does stray away from it's original context and the stereotypical WASP family may reinforce unrealistic portrayals of Hollywood, but with this, with a little effort on our behalf, we the audience can allow ourselves to be whisked away into the young boys adventure, out of the harsh realities of life. When analysed, issues of father and son relationships and the transition of boy to manhood become quite clear. Taking into consideration that the film was made nearly ten years ago, I feel it serves importantly as balance between strong realism and fairy tale.

I believe in grading movies on a curve. This one is not in the same class as Citizen Kane or Fargo or Some Like It Hot. Instead this is a low-budget and somewhat corny—okay, pretty corny—family film like, oh, Because of Winn-Dixie. And graded on the curve appropriate for that class, this is at least an 8 out of 10. I'll be honest, my wife is the one who ordered this from Netflix and I didn't want to see it. I had Gosford Park in the DVD tray ready to go. But my wife thought our 15-year old would enjoy Wild America more, and our daughter agreed. I was outnumbered. So we watched this film.

I didn't know anything about it. We were a good 10 minutes or more into the film before I put the family's last name (Stouffer) together with the first name of the oldest son (Marty) and realized, "Hey, I know who this kid is: It's Marty Stouffer of..." D'oh.

Anyway, I expect that the real adventures of the real Marty and his brothers weren't quite as colorful as those of the characters in the film. But there were a good combination of excitement (and from some unlikely sources, like F-14 jets dropping bombs) and genuine humor. I laughed hard again and again.

Special effects? Well, I'll just say, it ain't Jurassic Park. I think the animal props were rented from a budget prop store in Atlanta. But it didn't matter. I enjoyed the film a lot. Do what I did, get some fresh hot pizza, sit back with your spouse and a kid or two, and enjoy it yourself.

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).

Released in 1997 and directed by William Dear, "Wild America" is a family adventure about three Arkansas brothers in the late 60s, Marshall, Marty and Mark Stouffer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Scott Bairstow and Devon Sawa respectively), who dream of becoming nature filmmakers. Their dream comes true when their parents (Jamey Sheridan and Frances Fisher) allow them to travel America, filming alligators, moose, grizzly bears and more. Don Stroud, Tracey Walter, Zack Ward and Claudia Stedelin have peripheral roles.

The movie's based on the true-life story of the brothers who went on to become big-time nature photographers, particularly Marty Stouffer, who directed the Wild America TV series (I even have a couple of those VHS tapes somewhere). The movie was released two months before the excellent "The Edge" was released, but don't expect anything within the realm of quality as that movie. Don't get me wrong, there is some good in "Wild America," it's just offset by the BAD.

The good includes an effective cast and stellar locations, not to mention a glorified cameo by an actor whom I'm not going to name, but he was a fairly big-time actor at the time. There's also some quality animal photography. Unfortunately, the kinks weren't worked out in the script. For instance, near the end the youngest brother has some mature dialogue that no kid his age would ever speak (both my wife and I thought this). Furthermore, the story has no narrative drive and so when the plane sequence occurs in the third act it's simply not moving or believable (although I enjoyed the sky photography). Speaking of unbelievable, there are three animal sequences that utterly destroy any suspension of disbelief: The moose sequence, the snake scene and, the worst, the entire bear cave episode, which almost single-handedly ruins the movie. Then there's the boys' film that was shown at their school. While this may have really happened I can guarantee you that the film looked nothing like what is shown.

Bottom Line: "Wild America" might be good for pubescent girls who are fond of the teenage protagonists and entertained by the fun antics, but adults will be turned-off by the lack of story drive and realism.

The film runs 106 minutes and was shot in South Carolina (Jasper County), Georgia (Rincon & Tybee Island), Arkansas (Fort Smith), Utah (Monument Valley), Arizona (Sedona) and Alberta, Canada.

GRADE: C-

I give this movie a 9 out of 10! I can't believe this movie didn't make hardly any money cause it sure was good. Whenever I am in the mood to watch a movie, it is always Wild America. I don't know what it is about this movie but it is just exciting, adventurous, funny, and action packed all rolled up into one. Scott Bairstow, Devon Sawa, and Johnathan Taylor Thomas were great in this movie. I recommend it to anyone all ages. I first saw it when I was about 5 years old and I fell in love with it. Since then it has been one of the family favorites and we watch it all the time. We are a big movie family so we watch movies every single night together. We've seen this one at least 50 times.

Wild America is the story of three brothers, two of whom want to make a film depicting wild life all over America.

The story focuses mainly on the youngest brother Marshall who sneaks into his brothers' car in order to go with them on their trip. While on the road with his brothers Marshall learns more about who he really is and what the real world is all about.

In my opinion the thing that makes Wild America such an amazing movie is the that not only does it have the action of the animal scenes and the heartwarming tale of a child who is coming of age. But it's a true story that we can all relate to. It shows us that no matter what anyone tells you, you can go out into the world and find what you're looking for. That's where the real inspiration lies.

The movie was nice, no more, no less. The acting was fine and the plot was good enough. This movie is probably best for teenage girls who like blond boys. I think that people can relate to the Stouffers brothers: Sweet, quiet, animal loving Marshall (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), who narrates and is the epitome of a young boy; Girl crazy Mark (Devon Sawa); or Marty (Scott Bairstow), the older, most mature of the group who loves filming.

Better movies exist, but worse ones do as well. Although I don't recommend this movie to those who want something great, I encourage everyone to decide for themselves.

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).

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.

Wild America (1997): Dir: William Dear / Cast: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Devon Sawa, Scott Bairstow, Tracey Walter, Frances Fisher: Idiotic contraption regarding the enthusiasm these kids have towards American wildlife where they foolishly put their lives on the line due to contrived plot details. They purchase a camera and are granted the rest of the summer to shoot wildlife. They are nearly eaten by an alligator, encounter sleeping bears in a cave for which they sing back to sleep after a near tragedy, one of them rides the antlers of a moose in a totally stupid sequence. One of them injures his leg during a squabble. Yet this is suppose to be family entertainment. Director William Dear displays more skill than the cast, and he does deliver on great shots of wildlife. Jonathan Taylor Thomas is the film's star who, in opening scenes, allows himself to be part of stupid stunts that no kid needs to be encouraged to participate in. He is joined by Devon Sawa and Scott Bairstow and together they prove to have more guts than brains. Tracy Walter is featured among the locals as well as the stereotypical strict father who learns to lighten up and encourage his children to get eaten by animals. Parents like this really need to be educated on the dangers of wild animals and the potential for curios kids to wind up as lunch. Its wildlife message is side tracked by idiocy leaving it as nothing to go wild over. Score: 3 / 10

Okay.. So, this is my first review without a spoiler. It's because I watched a Nat.Geo documentary called Wild America in 1998 in my 5th grade classroom and wanted to watch it at home. Unfortunately my dad got the VHS of the movie called Wild America and I had no choice but to watch it. But, I was delighted as the youngest kid in the film was at that time my age and I could really connect some events. Yes, there are some immature moments in the film and it is heavily relied on the fact that this film is pure fiction as no parent would allow their kids to go on an expedition.

Now, I have watched thousands of movies and I know that watching a movie like this would make you twitch as you've seen better. But, this movie is meant to be seen at the appropriate age -- the early teen years. There's no way you can really enjoy it unless you see it at that time. I don't know if I will enjoy this if I watch it now. But, as my title reads, I will remember this film as one that I watched when I was young and innocent, because that's what the movie's characters are, young and innocent.

Wild America was one of my brother's favorites growing up. We watched it ritually whenever we went over to our aunt's house. Wild America tells the story of three brothers who wish to film a nature film for their town to show them the beauties of their country. Jonathon Taylor Thomas stars in this story of brotherly love, ambition, and beauty. The script is filled with laughs, and even if you may not cry at this wonderful family film, you may be close to tears. From the rolling hills to the desert, this is truly an American movie. Though smaller children may not enjoy it, an audience of ages 8 and above will find it a treat. I recommend this film to anyone who has had a brother or has had a dream.

Decent entertainment for kids and teen girls with no taste...definitely not true to life and quite a few plot holes. For a movie about animals the filmmakers sure didn't do much research on what animals in the wild do and DO NOT do. Some hugely glaring errors (the entire moose scene for one; the timeline for another - bears are not going to be hibernating at the same time a moose calf is that young) made it tough to watch at times. I have a hard time believing that a Stouffer brother actually signed off on this movie.

This movie is HORRIBLY made. I don't know how low a budget this movie has,

but it looks low. Hard ice is made of sheet plastic and when it tears, looks like sheet plastic, with frayed edges. I have yet in my life to see ice with frayed edges. The acting? Let's see: formula for a good movie....1) hire the worst of the 3 sons on "Home Improvement", (2) hire the most inexperienced screenwriters

you can find (David Michael Wieger has written nothing but this movie--check

him out) and (3) the most incompetent director--his career highlight being the amazing "Harry and the Hendersons".

The only reason I watched this movie was at the request of my two incredibly

theatrically unknowledged roommates. Boy, I wish I had my night back.

How do you made a bad movie? Well, take three teen hunks who can't act, add a screenplay that doesn't really have a plot (one moment you're filming wildlife, the next you're on a "nude beach") complete with an ending that's twenty minutes too late, stir in REALLY lame visual effects and you've got "Wild America", one of 1997's worst movies.

Wild America is a great movie! It is the story of three brothers, Marshall (Johnathan Taylor Thomas), Mark (Devon Sawa), and Marty Stouffer (Scott Bairstow) who go on the road in various locations across America putting their lives in danger as they learn to depend and trust each other while filming endangered wildlife with the dreams of becoming nature filmmakers. All kinds of animals are filmed in this movie from alligators, wolves, deer, wild horses, moose, a cave of raging grizzly bears and more! I saw a little bit of this when it aired on WGN one Saturday afternoon and the parts I saw made me want to watch the whole movie. I first saw the whole movie on Encore Wam about two months ago and I loved it. Since then, it has become one of my favorite movies. I don't have this one yet, but I hope to get it soon. If you're looking for adventure, action, love nature, or you need a movie to watch with the whole family, I highly recommend this. This is not a Disney movie; it is from Warner Bros., so just to warn you, there is some language in this film despite its PG rating. Rating for Wild America: 10/10!

My husband found a box of old VHS movies after moving into a new home recently. I finally decided to watch this and thought it would be like a "Free Willy" or something. I planned to watch it with my toddler but she fell asleep and I'm glad she did. I thought it was going to be a really kiddie movie but it turned out to be great! I loved the story line, the adventure, it kept my interest to the very end. The reason I didn't give it a 10 was because it did seem a tad bit too long...my hubby kept popping in saying is that movie still on? Nevertheless, I was thoroughly entertained. I found it delightful and wholesome but with an edge. It's nice to escape with a good film that makes u feel good especially with so much garbage that's out there today.

This movie was very good!! Jonathan Taylor Thomas is why i decided to see to it!! And to my surprise it was very good!! That is why my family bought!! If your a JTT fan you will love it and if your not it is still an good movie!! The movie is about three brothers in the 60s achieving their dreams!! IT is based on a true story but they do all this wild stuff it is hard to believe this actually happen!!! This is perfect for a movie night!!! They go to so many places and do all this stuff you probably wont want to get up for a bathroom break!! IT has humor, adventure, and a pretty good story for the little ones!! When you are at blockbuster or something and your out of ideas you should try Wild America if your seeking adventure!!!!

This was done towards the end of Jonathan Taylor Thomas's "cute" years, and was probably around the end of his childhood career. After this dreck, I can only hope he has spent the last 10 years concentrating on his education, and perhaps he can arrange a come back in his late twenties.

Otherwise, this film still offers few redeeming qualities, and little to no entertainment value.

Three brothers journey into the wilderness to help Marty initiate his nature film-making career. Sounds mildly interesting, doesn't it? Let me be the one to warn you, it is not. The "fun" scenes herein are the most idiotic form of popular tripe, and the suspension of belief required here is wholly impossible. This is just terrible.

Aside from a few good vistas, some nice camera angles, and a strong bit part by Danny Glover, there isn't really any reason to bother with this one.

It rates a 1.7/10 from...

the Fiend :.

I really truly disagree. I have this movie and watch it frequently. (yes i spelt it wrong) I watch it all the time because it's an amazing movie. The director chose the actors wisely and they all fit their character perfectly. I can't understand why anyone would give this movie a bad rating. Scott Bairstow, (Marty) plays the eldest brother who decides to move out and buy a camera to film America's wildlife. Devon Sawa (Mark) goes with them. They take the truck and head off. 20 miles past Matazuma, Jonathan Taylor Thomas (Marshall) pops up from the back of the truck. Mark had a book of Wild Animal Attacks, and Marshall couldn't take it anymore. The three bothers headed off. They were looking for a cave of bears. That sleep together during the winter. They're not sure if it's real or not. Everyone keeps telling them that bears sleep alone. They stop at a stream, Marty and Mark taking a rest stop, and Marshall down stream filling up the canteens. Funny how that works out. An eagle flys by and snatches up a fish. They run to the van to get the camera, but the doors are locked. This time, they're not taking any chance's. They go to a place called Alligator Hell. The man was telling them about how the alligator ate his dog in one swallow, then took of his leg. They went out into the bog and Mark threw out the bait, but it got stuck on a branch. Mark put on wet pants and went into the bog. By the time he got to the bait, the bog was up to his neck. Suddenly, he's pulled under. Marty starts the boat, but hits a log and Marshall goes in with the flashlight. He sees Mark under the water, his pants are stuck on a branch. Marshall comes up and Marty tosses him the knife. Marshall cuts Mark free and then they swim to the surface. But Marshall drops the flashlight, so he goes down to get it. He gets it and in front of him is the Alligator! Does Marshall get out? Well of course he does because the movie doesn't stop there. But do they find the cave? Do they become famous? Well watch the movie to find out!

Loved the show. The acting was good, considering the ages of the actors involved. Has just the right amount of excitement, family drama, danger and humour. The nature and wildlife shots are just fantastic, and you wonder if the actors are actually in the same shots as the animals, or if it's just a brilliant camera trick. Take the part in the bears' cave - I know I wouldn't stand up to having so many bears roaring all around me with no visible route of escape. Panoramic shots of the natural world makes you just wanna get into your 4WD and take a 3 month hiatus to tour the countryside. Touching moments at the end when the normally practical-minded father applauded his son's efforts at nature-based film-making and gave them his support instead of the initial discouragement. Great movie round and round. If I had the money and the time, I'd go on trip like that too. That's how good it is.

Spoilers herein.

This is the `Blair Witch Project' except from the other end and as if it were done by the scooby gang. It is an absolute excrescence, except for the amazing visage of Francis Fisher. If only the woman could act, it would be great because the camera loves her so. ... And those aerial shots are always a nickel's worth of pleasure.

But it is on my list because it is a (bad) movie about the making of a (good) movie.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

"Wild America" is definitely not a great film, but it's okay. There are some interesting moments, but I found that the over-bearing sentimentality and cuteness mixed with adult content -- adult to a certain degree -- to be confusing. One tends to wonder if the film is adult, or family. Things are thrown around too much. First it's adult subject matter, then it's a broken heart moment filled with overly-sentimental acting.

"Wild America" fills my list of "family films that couldn't decide to be adult or not".

2.5/5 stars. If you want to see good parts, just fast-forward to scenes with the wild animals chasing the kids. It's fun to watch--

John Ulmer