The Girl on the Mountain (2022) User Reviews

This movie is so flawed!

[dcarter0515 · 4/10 · 19 March 2022]

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I really wanted to like this movie but there are too many things I just can't get past. Let me count the ways: 1. Was the girl born deaf? She would have to sign and read lips. There are so many times when Jack is talking that she's not even looking at him yet she understands what he says. She " hears" a loud noise and asks Jack what it is. Also she counts after she sees lightening and stops when she hears thunder???

2. She lived in a tiny piece of junk camper with a loser father but she has braces. Braces are EXPENSIVE and I don't see her dead beat dad having that kind of money or even caring.

3. The first man that got injured was in excruciating pain from a limb that went halfway through his leg. In the next scene he's not even limping.

4. Dead? Mute? In the fight scene she says screams "Don't kill him" but after that scene they are signing again.

Yes the scenery is beautiful but the story and actors weren't that great!

Nonsense Premise

[imdb-392-492467 · 6/10 · 11 December 2023]

I'm in the middle of the woods, a dirty kid pilfers my backpack so I'm doing to yell at her and ignore the plight of her situation because I'm so sad my idiot daughter couldn't look while crossing a road and apparently though it's well known that I can get hung up at work, I was the sole person able to offer transport therefore I should off myself...but maybe not yet.

Oh look, she followed me. Guess she can sleep outside while I sleep in the tent. That makes sense.

Let's not leave the woods and get her help. I too sad. I still might kill myself but this time while she sleeps beside me. Guess I am a terrible person to think it wouldn't be a big deal for her to awake next to my headless body.

No problem that she's mute, I learned sign language when I was a kid. There will be no gaps in my knowledge in this regard because it's cuter this way.

Oh, her mom was murdered by her dad. Definitely just keep chilling in the woods.

Oh, a distant gun shot. Let's keep chilling in the woods.

Hey I know, I'm going to home alone this place instead. I really am a moron. But it's all good because they people chasing us are the same caricatures from that movie. Every one knows all criminals are laughable dumb.

Oh, she speaks. Oh, she has horrible delivery. Let's have her go back to being mute.

Good thing they only choked me out a bit and didn't use that gun to double tap my ass. This really is a battle of morons.

I now awake for the final round. Redemption!

I attack like ninja! Silently taking out three. The cocking of my rifle being the only thing that alerts the final nemesis.

He is so slow on the draw I can kick up a gun from the ground, load it and shoot before he has fully raised his weapon.

Was I cocking an empty rifle before, who cares?

I am redeemed!

Meh

[OmStarsong · 5/10 · 2 September 2022]

Not sure I can get 600 characters worth of disappointment at what could have been, but I'll try..

The scenery is great.. The story concept fine.. It all goes downhill from there.. Someone else mentioned details and that's the biggest flaw for sure.. "Put the gun down or I'll shoot the kid.." Well, uh, he's gonna kill you both anyway so why in the hell do they always put the gun down..? 🙄 Biggest cliche of stupidity ever..! Then others have mentioned stuff like walking off into the night with your truck unlocked and the lights on.. Hero is soaking wet from the lake water, seconds later dry as a bone.. Bad guy miraculously heals from a stab wound in a couple days.. Two other guys have significant life threatening wounds, but soldier on to their bitter end.. I don't think so.. The bad hillbilly boys never cuss.. And generally not using contracted words.. That's a major pet peeve.. Who the hell talks like that..? And then wimpy music teacher turns into bad ass country boy with no explanation other than just because.. He knows the bad guys are coming, but takes forever to start preparing and stays camped out in the open.. All of a sudden he turns into Rambo and is making complicated traps that the actual country boys walk right in to.. This only happens in Hollywood.. At the end the truck with its miracle battery starts right up and off they drive.. No mention of the bodies.. Assume he buried them with his tiny pick in a forest full of tree roots..? 🙄 The kid finding the one person in the massive forest who knows sign language..? 🤣 Poor writing, major plot holes, stilted acting.. The director should know his script since he wrote it.. Editing atrocious.. It's almost a parody of typical Hollywood cliches all jammed together to distract the ignorant audience from the initial poor script.. I still ended up giving it a 5 because I really like the challenging nature movies.. The cinematography was pretty good and kudos for that..! The rest, no.. 5 is generous to say the least..

No effort on detail

[yidboyjoel · 2/10 · 30 March 2022]

Terrific scenery. It stops there. If any musicians were actually playing (daughter excluded, she couldn't even pretend convincingly), it did not match the soundtrack. So, Jack's score was jotted in a notebook and scored for piano? And he took his phone out during a performance? The first three minutes set us up for a comedy of sloppy film-making. And why did his daughter suddenly walk out into the path of the only car on the road, coming towards her with lights on? And then there was the posse of villains, who get out of the car, and walk on into the night, leaving the car with its lights on. Dumb is as dumb gets.

Really, the lack of research, attention to detail and common sense destroyed what credibility the movie may have had. Shame, because the basic premise was sound, despite the execution.

Will not talk or you will see her braces

[darylclose · 2/10 · 29 August 2022]

OK so a man is traipsing around the mountain, living off the land trying to get the courage to kill himself after causing the death of his daughter due to bad parenting. Comes across a younger girl who is escaping her father who killed her mother and his 3 helpers. He wants her back which is strange since she witnessed him killing her mother. You would assume since he did not even consider her worthy of a name and just called her maggot that he would be quick to kill her so there were no witnesses. But no he keeps trying to take her home except when he threatens to toss her off a cliff. Makes no sense. Girl can talk but uses sign all through the movie as supposedly her mother was deaf. Amazing the musician / woodsman also can sign. So we get their conversations with subtitles. Hero gets to kill all 4 rednecks even after he was chocked to death and stabbed once and they ride off in the redneck's pickup which has been left with it's headlights on for at least 24 hours. I want that battery. Also if the father did not bother to give his daughter a name then who paid the orthodontist for her braces? Some nice images of nature.

Might be the worst movie I've ever seen

[lesliegill · 1/10 · 24 March 2022]

This has got to be the worst move I've seen. The acting is TERRIBLE and everything about it is just stupid including the plot. Don't waste your time! Good thing I didn't buy this.

Corny

[borospt · 29 March 2022]

Worst acting. Only good thing about this story was scenery. This isn't a Disney nor Christian movie and you're telling me red necks who look like heavy metal rockers don't say one curse word the whole movie? Not even a damn. Lmao. At least with Disney and Christian movies you know what you get. Why would director make it so unrealistic? "You better stop right now mister or I will hurt you" Lol. So cheesy. Dude gets spear stuck in leg and no cursing out of anger? I mean it doesn't have to be like CASINO with too much swearing but that was ridiculous and the acting just horrific. You got the blood and violence but not a sh#t? Very cheesy. Pass up unless you want to see God's beautiful nature.

Just bad. Not the 'it's so bad, it's good' kind. It's just bad.

[Catocala · 3/10 · 5 November 2023]

I am a dumbass, because I read the reviews before watching, but still wanted to give it a chance. Boy, do I regret it.

The acting, my god! The acting is so unbelievably horrible! I'm so sorry, because I can imagine how much effort goes into making a movie, but this is just a waste of everybody's time. The actors are unable to deliver a single line convincingly, but perhaps that is also due to the actual lines themselves.

The script is so wooden, that I thought I was watching a kind of spoof/parody movie during the first half hour. But they're serious. E.g. Main character comes across a little girl, dirty looking and alone, in the woods and his first response is to get mad at her for stealing his food...? Instead being concerned, because there is a friggin child abandoned in the wildlife middle of nowhere?

The story is basically about nothing, but the little plot that it does have, consists solely of clichés that have been done a thousand times before (and a thousand times better).

If you still watch this movie after reading this review, I wish you luck. My heart goes out to all the people who made this movie, don't quit your dayjobs folks!

Fantastic Scenery and that's about it.

[MikeWright75 · 1/10 · 1 August 2022]

The disgraceful thing about this movie is it should be good but the acting is cheesy and the script is worse, and the main baddie is so cliched that it's toe curling. One minute the mute kid is mute, the next she speaks then she's mute again. There's no depth to anything in this movie other than the mountains and wilderness.

It ain't Shakespeare, but not as bad as some people are saying

[jimthescrooge · 7/10 · 14 May 2024]

I watched this movie carefully.

First question in a review is, "What did we like class." I agree the scenery was breathtaking, but I'm a mountain junkie.

I enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to apologize to my wife and daughter about excessive language.

I was very pleased to see someone effectively using American Sign Language properly.

The heroic lead, "Jack" was worth my investment in the movie to follow his character development from orchestral director to mountain man with a haunted past.

That, in itself earned this movie a better than average score.

Second question in a review is what did it need.

Big Al was more buffoon and bully, than a dangerous man. His 3 amigos were more like cub scouts on a day hike than a fearsome gang. We may have wished for the crew to be a larger threat.

It ain't Shakespeare, or Easy Rider, but it was a decent movie to watch with the family.

Don't waste your time or money

[cjfilm-66642 · 1/10 · 23 March 2022]

Not worth renting. Not worth watching. Bad acting bad storyline, bad everything. The director is asking his followers to give good ratings and reviews. Don't fall for the fake ratings and fake reviews. This is such a terrible film.

I really enjoyed this film

[DawnFields · 10/10 · 21 March 2022]

I really enjoyed this film. Maybe it's because I'm a filmmaker and I know how much blood, sweat, tears and passion goes into an indie film like this. I liked the chemistry between the actors and I found the girl's performance authentic and natural. The scenery was great and it was a good watch. Would recommend.

Terrible, Bad Screenwriting, Bad Acting.

[jewelsj-96065 · 1/10 · 19 March 2022]

The Girl in the Mountain is a terrible film. Slow pace, bad acting, made me laugh out loud because of how bad it was. This film tried too hard. 1 star rating. Let's be honest if you're giving this movie a 10 out of 10 you were probably part of the movie production or a friend of the director because there's no way a normal reviewer would give this film a 10 out of 10. More like a 1 out of 10.

Update *The director Matt Sconce literally has asked his many Facebook followers to to leave a five star review whether they watched the film or not.

Worst movie ever made

[mike-6-230793 · 1/10 · 5 May 2024]

I knew in the first few minutes when a grown man comes across a hurt hungry child in the middle of no where and tells her to go away and leave him alone that this was going to very underwhelming. And then he makes her sleep outside while he stays in the tent the first night... wow. And then the redneck posse climbs out of the truck to go look for her and leaves the lights on the truck. He cooked fish on a smokeless fire. I feel like I am so much dumber for watching this movie... I felt obligated to post this review to try and save someone, anyone, from the pain I have endured. Sorry this ran long but they make you type a minimum number of characters so I had to add some fill. Lol But the movie really is bad...

I fell for the fake reviews.

[BrianSewell · 4/10 · 19 March 2022]

Scenery is stunning, the acting is very 'Mark Borchardt' . So sad because the start was promising and then the 'reason for the runaway' scene began.. Oh dear. It's annoying because the scenery and cinematography are really good but the rest is very "Hey let's make a movie". Your Gran might enjoy this.

Bad Acting

[jimmyho2006 · 1/10 · 20 March 2022]

Daniel O'Reilly is definitely not suitable for this role (I don't know if he's suitable for any other role). If it's. Jim Caviezel.would have made the movie more profound and the plot it should be. Starting with the crying already make the movie looks crappy.

very poor

[jokamac · 2/10 · 20 March 2022]

HE was supposed to be in the wilderness but most of the paths he used were well used and lined with log. The four baddies were not very good actors or the director was happy with mediocre acting. The vehicle used by the Baddies must have the best battery in the world on a car, they went off into the forest leaving the headlights on but it started first time later. The death of the daughter was not very well thought out, a long straight road vehicle with headlights on and she walk 2/3 of the way across before being hit by the car.

Could have been so much more

[kris_ro · 5/10 · 18 March 2022]

This movie is like a suit with bad stitching. The most disappointing of it is the screenplay. So, given the screenplay, I would say that acting is OK most of the time, even though characters are barely sketched. I have to imagine the guilt and suffering of the man for loosing his daughter and to guess the emotion and the development of the bond and trust between the girl and the man, Big Al not really convincing, nor the fighting scenes, in the woods I would bet on the redneck, not on the orchestra conductor playing Rambo. Also the waitress at the end is quite hilarious getting scared by the knife.

Should have read the reviews...

[djthirkettle · 3/10 · 2 April 2022]

Can't believe a film this bad can still be released in 2022. The writing was like a highschool project. The acting was incredibly forced and unbelievable especially the bad guys. Only the girl's acting was passable but that didn't make up for the atrocious writing and direction. I assume the writer and directer hold far left ideologies...that's the only thing i can speculate as to how a movie could be made so bad in these times of knowledge, talent and imagination. The forest is the only thing worth seeing in this film... wasted $8 on this....if i knew how bad it was, i wouldn't have spent $1. You know. You have no reason to waste your money.

SWEEPING BEAUTY, POWERFUL ACTING

[karenadellscot · 10/10 · 18 March 2022]

The Girl on the Mountain is an astonishingly beautiful, gorgeous film. Lead actors Daniel O'Reilly and Makenzie Sconce paint a powerful character sketch of loss, courage, redemption, and ultimate renewal. I expect both to become huge stars as they simply light up each scene they are in. O'Reilly is massively heroic as the flawed protagonist Jack Ward, and is truly handsome. Dana T. Carney carried the role of the antagonist leader Big Al, and made me hate him. We'll done!

Director, cinematographer, and editor, Matt Sconce's obvious talent bolsters the story using a sweeping flourish of powerful scene choices that perfectly match the massive acting ability of the cast. Sconce paints the screen with soaring and scenic high mountain vistas, then continues his artistry through perfect direction of the cast.

This is no digital effect, virtual effect film. It is a great story with ACTING. I was swept away as I happily experienced this film.

It is simply wonderful. I immediately bought the film.

Go see it!

Story was good

[delores052 · 5/10 · 2 May 2022]

Execution was awful. Just no common sense to a few details.

The girls acting was superb. Jack's character was trying to be a hard mountain man but yet a sensitive artist. It just didn't work.

Awakening

[nogodnomasters · 5/10 · 22 March 2022]

Jack Ward (Daniel O'Reilly) is a conductor who blames himself for the death of his daughter. He lives in the mountains and is suicidal. He meets a mute girl (Makenzie Sconce) who is on the run from an abusive father who killed her mother. She blames herself. After a week or so, after the two bond, the father (D. T. Carney) gets a posse to find and kill the girl who is a witness.

The conductor being a Rambo survivalists didn't come off too well. Some could consider it heart warming, I couldn't get into it.

Guide: no swearing, sex, or nudity.

at least the scenery is cool

[ferguson-6 · 5/10 · 21 March 2022]

Greetings again from the darkness. Jack Ward first appears as the conductor of an orchestra during a live performance. It seems to be going well until he declines a call from his teenage daughter, Melody. See, it's his day to pick her up from school. When he doesn't show up, she walks home. After receiving congratulations for the musical performance, tragedy and guilt strike Jack on the same day. And then tragedy strikes again. It's more than one man can take, and the next time we see Jack, he's on a mountaintop contemplating suicide.

Writer-director Matt Sconce delivers a story from Christopher Mejia, and much of it takes place in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Actually, the mountains and the shots of nature (filmed by director Sconce) are the standouts here, as it's terrain that we haven't seen too often on screen. As a conductor, Jack (Daniel O'Reilly) was the ultimate clean-cut professional. After time on the mountain, he a haggard, worn-down man with little reason to live. He carries a bullet in his boot for the day when he's strong enough to end things. One day, a mute girl steals food from his backpack. He tracks her down and since he (conveniently) knows sign-language, he learns the mute girl is running from a dangerous family situation. He calls her Aria (Makenzie Sconce, assuming her to be the director's daughter), and the two bond over skimming stones, fishing, and paper airplanes.

The tension in the story is twofold: flashbacks and the pursuit. Jack and Aria both have their flashbacks to bad times. Jack recalls his mistakes with daughter Melody (Sarah Dorothy Little), while Aria's dreams remind of her an unbearable life with her dad, Big Al. It's Big Al's pursuit of Aria that keeps her and Jack on the lookout. He's hunting her down since she was witness to his horrible action. There are two distractions here that deserve mention. The eye makeup on Mr. O'Reilly is downright creepy at times, while the orthodontic braces on Aria's teeth simply don't belong, given the deep poverty of her home life.

Mr. O'Reilly, young Ms. Sconce, and Ms. Little are fine in their roles, but the other supporting characters, though not on screen for long, are detrimental to flow. The story of redemption and awakening is really nothing new, but the mountainous setting adds a level of differentiation that keeps us interested. A strange ending leaves us wondering, what now?

Available On Demand beginning March 8, 2022.

Chemistry between the performers & Excellent Cinematography

[georgepalmerjr · 5/10 · 14 February 2023]

Great movie! This film had excellent cinematography and breathtaking atmosphere and visuals in the scenery. There was chemistry between the performers as they told their narratives and the storytelling throughout the screenplay was enough to keep you interested and to care about the characters, for example like who they are and why they are there, and how there performances fits into the plot as the story unfolds. The performers as they played their respective characters caught enough of my attention to care about the story the director was showing through his director's lens. It is not easy directing a film that appeals to everyone likes.

HOPE inspired

[prayerfulpraise · 10/10 · 18 March 2022]

The Girl on the Mountain is beautiful ... a beautiful story of hope, beautiful cinematography, and beautiful characters. In a world where hope seems to be lost and life is full of disappointment or devastating circumstances, it can still be found. Darkness can be overcome by light.

This movie was not what I expected, it was more than. More than in the sense that the vast majority of the film was told with limited dialogue, yet in that lack of words, it allows the viewer to experience the emotion and depth of the film. At times I could find myself relating to either of the lead characters. This movie can bring healing to those who have lost someone. Who may be contemplating giving up. It is inspiring and gives hope that even when we think we are abandoned and alone someone is there. Even when life is hard and ugly, we can still find beauty.