Stranded, Bigfoot vs. Grouchy Family

Boggy Creek!  Yep...the Bigfoot capital of the world.  Every year, tens of thousands of Americans are shredded by Bigfoot in that Arkansas hamlet.  In fact...more people are murdered by Bigfoot in Boggy Creek than die at the hands of Mexican cartels. Okay, maybe not.  So who do you cheer for when Bigfoot comes face to face with a grouchy broad who yells at everyone through the whole movie?  I know my answer.  Today we look at 2023's "Stranded," directed by Shawn Burkett.

Mom has died...good riddance.  She looks like she was a cantankerous and grouchy woman.  Fear not, her daughter Katherine  (Brittany Blanton) is worse.  She yells at everyone and is ticked off because she thinks she was the only one who cared for her mom while she was dying.  Chill out, babe!  Her mom's last wish was that Katherine and her other two kids, Joel (Dale Miller) and Donnie (Mike Pleska) take her ashes and spread them in Boggy Creek...don't ask.  Ha!  Put that in your will...sort of a final practical joke on your family you leave behind.  Uh oh...Joel shows up.  Joel is sort of the prodigal son.  He left the family and just stayed away for years.  Donnie is useless, but who can blame him?  Every time he tries to do something, Katherine yells at him.  Also along in this quest is Donnie's wife, Sharon (Payton Pleska). She will be a real trooper and also gets yelled at by Katherine.

The four get stranded in the middle of the night near Boggy Creek.  Alone with mom's ashes in Joel's car, the family bickers non stop.  Then Bigfoot shows up.  Annoyed at the bickering he attacks.  Slashing and roaring, Bigfoot aims to murder the annoying family.  The family bickers some more.  Now a chance.  At survival? No!  A chance to honor the dead mom by healing old wounds and bonding together as loving siblings.  Heroism will enter the plot.  A spirit of reconciliation enters it.  Are these things sufficient weapons in fighting Bigfoot?

A very likable film in which Bigfoot is portrayed as a vicious homicidal cryptid.  Heartbreaking at times, and a great visit back to Boggy Creek.  Will Bigfoot prevail over the PMS-ridden grouchy Katherine?  Will Joel realize he was better off when he put distance between himself and his siblings?  In the grand scheme of the universe and its order, is there any difference between spreading mom's ashes in Boggy Creek or just flushing them down the toilet?  For some good Bigfoot fun see "Stranded."