Enjoyable family flick that's a little muddled and disjointed at first but picks up and turns very Goonie'st.
The storytelling at the end wraps things up nicely.
The storytelling at the end wraps things up nicely.
183 Reviews
Somewhat predictable but better than expected
pattonroxanne30 January 2021
Fun, light-hearted family fun
jreagan-4242421 March 2021
Drawing inspiration from Richard Donner's 1984 classic adventure film "The Goonies" and giving it a tropical makeover, "Finding Ohana" takes us in search for pirate treasure once again, this time inside an underground cave in Hawaii.
Neatly paced and with just enough substance to make the story flow without complications, "Finding Ohana" centers around a group of teenagers who set out in search for treasure into the depths of an ancient tomb.
The film is not without its blemishes. There are cringe inducing moments, unfitting musical choices, and awkward acting performances, but a decent plot, beautiful scenery, and a well crafted script keeps this flick about family and cultural heritage afloat.
Certainly a movie to be enjoyed with the family and a bowl of popcorn.
Neatly paced and with just enough substance to make the story flow without complications, "Finding Ohana" centers around a group of teenagers who set out in search for treasure into the depths of an ancient tomb.
The film is not without its blemishes. There are cringe inducing moments, unfitting musical choices, and awkward acting performances, but a decent plot, beautiful scenery, and a well crafted script keeps this flick about family and cultural heritage afloat.
Certainly a movie to be enjoyed with the family and a bowl of popcorn.
Pretty darn good
snoopytugb14 March 2021
This movie was put together really well. Writing, music, cinematography...it FEELS like a B movie, but it's just beyond that. I'd say it's the best B+ movie I've seen in years! Great movie for adults to watch with the kids!!
A mixture of treasure hunting adventure and family melodrama that stumbles at first but finds its footing as it goes on
IonicBreezeMachine30 January 2021
Pili (Kea Peahu) has her sights set on attending a Geocaching camp, but after her grandfather (Branscombe Richmond) has a heart attack, Pili must forfeit her prize and go to Hawaii with her mother Leilani (Kelly Hu) and brother Ioane (Alex Aiono). Once there Pili finds a journal among her grandfather's possessions that tells of a group of privateers who hid a cache of gold on the island and sets off to find the treasure unaware of the dangers surrounding it.
Directed by TV sitcom staple Jude Weng and written by comic book/screenwriter Christina Strain whose work can be seen in cult favorite TV show The Magicians and Netflix's upcoming series Shadow and Bone, Finding 'Ohana marks another original by Netflix. Finding 'Ohana feels like a mixture of Lilo & Stitch by way of National Treasure, and while there are good elements on display, the movie is a little clumsy out of the gate.
Kea Peahu makes her debut here as our protagonist Pili and brings a natural energy to her performance that is engaging. She does a good job conveying the drive, stubbornness, and arrogance of her character and has some nice moments of vulnerability and pathos throughout the film. YouTube personality/singer Alex Aiono makes his film debut here and for the most part does reasonably well, but sometimes the clunky material especially early on doesn't allow him to make the best impressions, but despite this he does feel engaging and falls comfortably into his role as the older brother dealing with an overly energized mischief prone sister. The supporting cast is also quite good. Kelly Hu despite a somewhat limited role plays her role as a struggling single parent trying to juggle multiple crises at once quite well and Branscombe Richmond plays the curmudgeonly grandfather character quite well and has some very sweet moments with Kea Peahu as Pili where they convey a genuine sense of family. But easily the best performance is Owen Vaccaro as Casper a nerdy overly cautious neighbor who Pili (kind of) befirends who gets some very funny scenes and lines in the movie. Vaccaro was previously seen in The House with a Clock in its Walls playing a lead and its nice to see him here again giving another good performance.
The movie itself is very hit and miss, the opening is very clumsily handled with characters often telling us about situations rather than showing us them, and while the characters feel like there's a richness to be explored for engagement and pathos, it often feels like those take a backseat to shenanigans and very on the nose humor. There's also not much in the way of drive at the beginning of the treasure hunt as the movie just kind of ambles along from one marker to the next. The flashback sequences are also rather underwhelming as they're subject to a running gag where the characters in the flashbacks will speak anachronistic dialogue as dubbed by Pili's Kea Peahu that is somewhat chuckle worthy upon first impression but becomes kind of grating upon repeated use. By the half way point I was ready to label this a very "meh" movie, but then it kept going.
After a flabby first half that's haphazardly delivered the movie course corrects and makes its stakes more dire and adds some tension and drive that's been missing from the movie up to that point. Without giving too much away there's some scenes of visual wonder and danger that all tie into the themes of family and Hawaiian mythology quite well and actually make the movie feel more engaging as it goes on.
Finding 'Ohana is clearly meant for a family audience, and as a family film its perfectly decent. The acting is spot on from everyone involved and the exploration of Hawaiian mythology is quite fascinating (though admittedly I'm unaware of how accurate it is) and the sense of adventure is quite fun once it gets going. Unfortunately clunky writing and an overly slow pace in the first half create some hurdles the movie needs to work around, but once it finds its footing it becomes an engaging adventure.
Directed by TV sitcom staple Jude Weng and written by comic book/screenwriter Christina Strain whose work can be seen in cult favorite TV show The Magicians and Netflix's upcoming series Shadow and Bone, Finding 'Ohana marks another original by Netflix. Finding 'Ohana feels like a mixture of Lilo & Stitch by way of National Treasure, and while there are good elements on display, the movie is a little clumsy out of the gate.
Kea Peahu makes her debut here as our protagonist Pili and brings a natural energy to her performance that is engaging. She does a good job conveying the drive, stubbornness, and arrogance of her character and has some nice moments of vulnerability and pathos throughout the film. YouTube personality/singer Alex Aiono makes his film debut here and for the most part does reasonably well, but sometimes the clunky material especially early on doesn't allow him to make the best impressions, but despite this he does feel engaging and falls comfortably into his role as the older brother dealing with an overly energized mischief prone sister. The supporting cast is also quite good. Kelly Hu despite a somewhat limited role plays her role as a struggling single parent trying to juggle multiple crises at once quite well and Branscombe Richmond plays the curmudgeonly grandfather character quite well and has some very sweet moments with Kea Peahu as Pili where they convey a genuine sense of family. But easily the best performance is Owen Vaccaro as Casper a nerdy overly cautious neighbor who Pili (kind of) befirends who gets some very funny scenes and lines in the movie. Vaccaro was previously seen in The House with a Clock in its Walls playing a lead and its nice to see him here again giving another good performance.
The movie itself is very hit and miss, the opening is very clumsily handled with characters often telling us about situations rather than showing us them, and while the characters feel like there's a richness to be explored for engagement and pathos, it often feels like those take a backseat to shenanigans and very on the nose humor. There's also not much in the way of drive at the beginning of the treasure hunt as the movie just kind of ambles along from one marker to the next. The flashback sequences are also rather underwhelming as they're subject to a running gag where the characters in the flashbacks will speak anachronistic dialogue as dubbed by Pili's Kea Peahu that is somewhat chuckle worthy upon first impression but becomes kind of grating upon repeated use. By the half way point I was ready to label this a very "meh" movie, but then it kept going.
After a flabby first half that's haphazardly delivered the movie course corrects and makes its stakes more dire and adds some tension and drive that's been missing from the movie up to that point. Without giving too much away there's some scenes of visual wonder and danger that all tie into the themes of family and Hawaiian mythology quite well and actually make the movie feel more engaging as it goes on.
Finding 'Ohana is clearly meant for a family audience, and as a family film its perfectly decent. The acting is spot on from everyone involved and the exploration of Hawaiian mythology is quite fascinating (though admittedly I'm unaware of how accurate it is) and the sense of adventure is quite fun once it gets going. Unfortunately clunky writing and an overly slow pace in the first half create some hurdles the movie needs to work around, but once it finds its footing it becomes an engaging adventure.
Weak at best
foster-dickson21 February 2021
This movie is only like "Goonies" to the extent that some kids need to find a treasure to stop an eviction. The main difference between the two films, other than a few decades, is that "Goonies" had personality, and this film doesn't.
Fun Family Oriented Movie
lakings9731 January 2021
Finding 'Ohana is a Netflix movie about a Hawaiian family uprooted from their family home in Brooklyn and move in with their aging grandfather in Oahu to help him with his health. Along the way the siblings find a journal pointing to a long lost treasure that sets them on an epic adventure around the island. The adventure leads them with new friends to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage. The cast includes the beautiful Kelly Hu as the single mother raising to her two kids and Branscombe Richmond as Kimo the grandfather who had not paid his property taxes in over five years. The kids hope finding the treasure would help save the property. The back story of the pirates were portrayed by SNL alumni Chris Parnnell as well as Marc Evan Jackson, they made the story more entertaining. The movie was very family oriented but I didn't care about the adventure but the ending was very heartwarming and the meaning of 'Ohana brought a positive overall vibe to the entire flick. Definitely it was fun to watch to watch with the family.
Enjoyed it with kids
tarapov-92-65406428 March 2021
Just Watch The Goonies
dominguezerin5 February 2021
This movie is extremely cringe-worthy. Many aspects are, but the dialogue is by far the most cringe-inducing element of this film. None of the characters are that fleshed out either, and it just made for film that dragged on. Seriously. There wasn't an arc that seemed that sincere nor one that I cared about.
The beautiful backdrop of Hawaii takes this film farther than it deserves to go.
If you like Kid History (YouTube), you'll probably enjoy this film.
The beautiful backdrop of Hawaii takes this film farther than it deserves to go.
If you like Kid History (YouTube), you'll probably enjoy this film.
Story ok acting not
brandonjamessmith-0412830 January 2021
Under Level
REXNE31 January 2021
Great movie that displays the true Hawai'i
erinkimie3 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
People saying that it was a cheap remake of the Goonies completely missed the point of the entire movie. It had a beautiful message of staying true to your roots, the importance of family, and respecting native cultures. Showing the real side of Hawai'i with local values, pidgin, 'olelo Hawai'i, customs and history was the best part of the movie in my opinion as someone born and raised on the islands. The Nightmarchers scene was my absolute favorite and was so touching and powerful. The local portrayal of Hawai'i is almost never scene in mainstream media so this was refreshing. Also, casting actual Pacific Islanders, Kamehameha grads, and people born and raised in Hawai'i was awesome. A great family-friendly movie.
Don't bother by the high ratings by the critics and some of the reviewers
MovieIQTest31 January 2021
We just couldn't stand the bad acting by most of the actors involved in this crappy movie, especially the pretentious acting by the two young actors who played big brother and younger sister. We thought the younger sister actor is even worse, she's so pretentious, not easy to watch. The script, the dialog, the overly exaggerated acting by most of these actors playing the different roles in it, the poorly directed movie, simply unwatchable!
Couldn't care less about the high ratings by critics and reviewers, you've got to lower your I.Q. level first to watch. We all agreed to give it up after 30 minutes torture.
Couldn't care less about the high ratings by critics and reviewers, you've got to lower your I.Q. level first to watch. We all agreed to give it up after 30 minutes torture.
Is OK, nice.
RichardBJ-131 January 2021
Too long
reichert-medien31 January 2021
If this is the future of entertainment. Please god help us
Tom547357 February 2021
It's nice to see something filmed in Hawaii but this is horrifically cringeworthy.
The classic weak boy and man routine is getting boring now.
Looked up the director and it all makes sense.
Sad to see an opportunity to improve on the Goonies lost.
"O Is For Family"
Kamurai257 February 2021
Good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.
This is the closest movie I think I've ever seen to "Goonies", but definitely at a lower level of interest / quality.
It is good to see more Hawaiian / Polynesian culture in movies, even if this feels like it is more of a setting than a real immersive delve, but maybe that will be more palatable exposure for audicenes.
The "super natural" aspects of movie are probably the only real "problem", but clearly its part of the point of the movie. It weirdly makes the movie into a paranormal type of a movie, which (to me, at least), makes it feels almost as a slight to the Hawaiian culture that it embodies.
I imagine its about the same as the movie having angels, but it feels more like Egyptian mummies. But maybe we should be taking mummies more seriously, who knows.
Great little family watch. There might be more exciting things, but if you've got an urge to watch movies like "Goonies", give this a shot.
This is the closest movie I think I've ever seen to "Goonies", but definitely at a lower level of interest / quality.
It is good to see more Hawaiian / Polynesian culture in movies, even if this feels like it is more of a setting than a real immersive delve, but maybe that will be more palatable exposure for audicenes.
The "super natural" aspects of movie are probably the only real "problem", but clearly its part of the point of the movie. It weirdly makes the movie into a paranormal type of a movie, which (to me, at least), makes it feels almost as a slight to the Hawaiian culture that it embodies.
I imagine its about the same as the movie having angels, but it feels more like Egyptian mummies. But maybe we should be taking mummies more seriously, who knows.
Great little family watch. There might be more exciting things, but if you've got an urge to watch movies like "Goonies", give this a shot.
Cute
jeffreyspaulding200331 January 2021
Sheesh-being self consciously woke is not a problem here. How dare Netflix try to introduce its audience to a culture that practically nobody outside Hawaii knows anything about huh? God forbid we learn a little something.
In all seriousness, the film is too long, the writing and acting are not great, but as someone with Hawaiian roots, I enjoyed it. It's no Goonies, which is no masterpiece itself, but if I was ten years old I would probably love this.
Disney Channel-esque
rdamian196325 May 2021
This is a cute family movie. Yes its full of clichés, but it is entertaining. The acting is marginal and The script is weak at points. The overall quality is that of a movie made for the Disney Channel. Its light hearted throughout and is full of family values.
I love Hawaii
yusufpiskin20 February 2021
If you're looking for a feel good movie with some action and funny moments, this is the movie for you. it was really cute and it just makes you smile.
it's incredible to me how many people didn't enjoy this movie as much as i did.
you can tell how heavily finding ohana was by the classic the goonies and i absolutely loved it. so many moments and the overall vibe was just so incredibly the goonies that i teared up more than just ones.
the actors were great and it was incredibly modern. maybe that's why people didn't enjoy it. because sometimes it felt so over the top but kids these days are like that.
i loved that it was so inclusive. the small things you see and learn about hawaii and its culture are great even for people that don't know much about it.
i honestly thought the movie was fantastic and i hope that kids will feel about it like i felt about the goonies.
we should start embracing new things even if we love the old thing more.
also the way she smirked at the poster and said "breathtaking".
you can tell how heavily finding ohana was by the classic the goonies and i absolutely loved it. so many moments and the overall vibe was just so incredibly the goonies that i teared up more than just ones.
the actors were great and it was incredibly modern. maybe that's why people didn't enjoy it. because sometimes it felt so over the top but kids these days are like that.
i loved that it was so inclusive. the small things you see and learn about hawaii and its culture are great even for people that don't know much about it.
i honestly thought the movie was fantastic and i hope that kids will feel about it like i felt about the goonies.
we should start embracing new things even if we love the old thing more.
also the way she smirked at the poster and said "breathtaking".
A wet dream for the non-Hawaiian
delzog7 February 2021
This movie was really-really stupid. It's like some Hawaiian's wet dream of what Hawaii should be ... but isn't. First, nobody lives like this in Hawaii! I've lived on 3 islands for over 30 years and I can assure you that this movie is a parody of Hawaiian life. From the hick cars, to a guy that's about to lose his house on O'ahu for not paying 5 years back taxes ... that'd be like losing a million dollar home and land for about $10K in taxes.
Then there's the language and speeches of EVERYONE. Nobody talks like this here. Pidgin? Sure! But not like they portray.
The way they treat kapuna and heiau's would, or should, insult just about every local here.
The portrayal of the living conditions all the way to the POS island cars is ludicrous at best. This would be right for a person living in Puna on the Big Island (but doubtful) but the islands don't allow junk cars much (safety inspections required here) ... lots of rust buckets, but that's about it.
The use of a box of spam by a kid to reach the pedals on a car?! Not even.
Everybody like, "ohana" and always giving away fruits, fish, etc... Hawaii is friendly, the people great, but this?! No. And the way it tries to shame the Hawaiian that's moved to New York is shameful in itself.
Much of this is a rip of other shows ... especially "The Goonies."
Casper, the white-redhead haole kid, is typical of the stereotyping of this show.
The lack of respect of these people, especially the young to the older generation, is plain silly for Hawaiians! I tell you, aunty ever here her keiki give lip or stink eye like dat, she give'em the slippa!
Anyway, this show is a four at best and that's because there's not enough Hawaiian motivated movies and it tries to portray the island as something magical (which it is) but in a horrible fashion! Watch "Lilo and Stitch" and you'll have a MUCH better representation of the islands.
Then there's the language and speeches of EVERYONE. Nobody talks like this here. Pidgin? Sure! But not like they portray.
The way they treat kapuna and heiau's would, or should, insult just about every local here.
The portrayal of the living conditions all the way to the POS island cars is ludicrous at best. This would be right for a person living in Puna on the Big Island (but doubtful) but the islands don't allow junk cars much (safety inspections required here) ... lots of rust buckets, but that's about it.
The use of a box of spam by a kid to reach the pedals on a car?! Not even.
Everybody like, "ohana" and always giving away fruits, fish, etc... Hawaii is friendly, the people great, but this?! No. And the way it tries to shame the Hawaiian that's moved to New York is shameful in itself.
Much of this is a rip of other shows ... especially "The Goonies."
Casper, the white-redhead haole kid, is typical of the stereotyping of this show.
The lack of respect of these people, especially the young to the older generation, is plain silly for Hawaiians! I tell you, aunty ever here her keiki give lip or stink eye like dat, she give'em the slippa!
Anyway, this show is a four at best and that's because there's not enough Hawaiian motivated movies and it tries to portray the island as something magical (which it is) but in a horrible fashion! Watch "Lilo and Stitch" and you'll have a MUCH better representation of the islands.
Goonies copy
sherrymo730 January 2021
Cringe.
tyko-runeberg6 March 2021
Absolutely loved.. family friendly
sandydee-4440430 January 2021
My daughter and I watched this movie tonight and absolutely loved it. Being from Hawaii and now living in the mainland it was fun to watch this movie... yes it's very much like goonies but the infusion of the Hawaii culture, language and folk lore made it all the more special. The night marchers story was very similar to what we were taught growing up as was the pidgin and infusion of Hawaiian words. Loved that their home was authentic with glass jalousie windows and tons of wood paneling. The filming of most of the film appears to be in Hawaii and they even have Halona beach from " from here to eternity" in it. The cast looks like the majority of them are from Hawaii which is refreshing considering the majority of the tv shows filmed in Hawaii have lead characters who are not from Hawaii and butcher the Hawaiian Pidgin and culture. The family relationship is realistic and my kids could identify with the siblings. It was.clean and light hearted. I would recommend to anyone, but if your not from Hawaii put the closed captioning on for the Hawaiian words. 💛💛
Goonies lovers!
jwpercifull17 February 2021
The movie itself is average as a whole. But, it is clearly a nod to Goonies. There are direct references to Goonies at least a dozen times, the character references are fun, and there's a supernatural twist and even a cameo!! Good movie for the kids and family.
So predictable and cliched
colleenimmg26 February 2021
Being a Hawaii resident, born and raised, I found this movie to be absolutely unwatchable. I watched about 15 minutes, then fastforwarded, just watching bits of it only because my husband wanted to see what they they found. I very very rarely am nauseated by a movie script, and love watching things filmed in Hawaii. It was so predicatable and corny and I kept thinking "OMG, people are going to think Hawaii is like this." From the Papa cutting a mango, neighbor boy saying "Aloha," all those Hawaiian names and words, etc. Yes, people are reviving the Hawaiian language, which is great, but you don't hear it used as much as the movie indicates.
I suppose this was written for kids and teens so I shouldn't expect much, but I certainly didn't expect my eyes to ache from rolling. I'm glad for it's popularity, but a bit disappointed that it was so cliched and stereotypical: the characters, the lines, the plot.
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