Finding ‘Ohana brings serious The Goonies vibes, but at the same time becomes its own movie, but is it worth a watch?
From the moment I watched the Finding ‘Ohana trailer I thought, oh this looks a lot like The Goonies. Talk about a bold move to bring a new take on such a beloved film. Well I have to admit, it paid off because Finding ‘Ohana is a whole lot of fun! With an insane amount of Goonies references, but an extra added twist to make it unique, Finding ‘Ohana is sure to be a hit!
My daughters are 8 and 9 and they have not yet watched The Goonies. I know, we are failing as parents — but not for long! After watching this movie not only did my husband and I get some nostalgia for the classic movie, the girls are asking to watch it as well!
Finding ‘Ohana has a very similar plot to The Goonies, as you can probably tell by the trailer. The Grandfather is losing his home and when Pili discovers a notebook that seems to give directions to a treasure, she jumps at the chance to help out. She ends up going on this adventure with her new friend — and her brother and his friend end up joining along.
What Works With Finding ‘Ohana
With this plot being so similar to a movie with such a large fan base, this could have been a giant miss. However, both my husband and I (who are big The Goonies fans) found ourselves laughing, and having a blast picking out the references.
I like that they moved the story to Hawaii and honestly, it gave me the itch to start traveling again. They attached a legend to the treasure hunt which yes, got weird at time, but was also a great way to set it apart and make it unique.
The adventure that the kids go on is a ton of fun and I really enjoyed all of the surprises — mostly the skeletons, definitely not the spiders. ‘Ohana means family — and this movie has a whole lot of heart and is truly about finding family.
Fans of the show Drunk History will get a little bit of those vibes thrown in, as when the notebook story is being told, there are actors who are being voiced by others. This is one of my favorite parts of film and every time one of these scenes started, I would perk up to pay close attention — and found myself cracking up!
What Doesn’t Work With Finding ‘Ohana
Like so many other movies lately, Finding ‘Ohana clocks in at just over two hours. I am not a fan of this new trend, especially when it comes to family movies. It is just too long. And while I did enjoy the complete story, there is for sure some things that could have been cut to reduce the run time.
The last twenty to thirty minutes gets a little weird, And while it was something I didn’t expect, it did feel out of place for me. But perhaps that is because I am so connected to The Goonies, and this is a drastic difference to that film.
Overall Thoughts
Finding ‘Ohana is a family friendly movie that brings adventure, heart, and a whole lot of fun! Something I feel like I need to mention for some parents is that there is a lot of nipple jokes. Why? I am not sure. For my family, we thought they were hilarious, but I know that some parents might be concerned about that.
The kid actors all do a great job in their roles and I love seeing them bond throughout the movie. As the adventures go on, their interactions change, which is really fun to watch. Of course, going through something like that is sure to change you.
I love the complete story that Finding ‘Ohana tells and I think that most families will. It is a great way to introduce your children to The Goonies fun, but with an added twist. And be sure to watch through the credits!
About Finding ‘Ohana
A summer in rural Oahu takes an exciting turn for two Brooklyn-raised siblings when a journal pointing to long-lost treasure sets them on an epic adventure with new friends, and leads them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.
Cast: Kea Peahu, Alex Aiono, Lindsay Watson, Owen Vaccaro, with Kelly Hu and Branscombe Richmond, Ke Huy Quan, Brad Kalilimoku, Chris Parnell, Marc Evan Jackson, Ricky Garcia
Watch Finding ‘Ohana on Netflix now!
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.
2 Comments
The part where you said “weird” and it could have been left out, is offensive to the Hawaiian culture. I liked that they included the Hawaiian culture for a movie made in Hawaiʻi and not white-washed with a bunch of non-native actors. The “weird” part you speak of I assume is about the Night Marchers. Itʻs hard to believe but the Night Marchers are real, itʻs not something made up. So what you considered “weird” is an actual part of Hawaiian culture and history.
I agree with your critic, the movie is truly a Goonies remix. The Hawaii culture portrayed not only felt weird as you put it but I felt it was offensive because Hawaiians don’t act or talk like that. Overall I couldn’t enjoy the movie because I felt it lack authenticity so had to end our view about 1/10th of the way into movie. I don’t recommend it.