Finding ʻOhana

Finding ʻOhana is a 2021 American family adventure film[1] by Jude Weng in her directorial debut and written by Christina Strain, based on the 1985 feature film The Goonies by Richard Donner, Steven Spielberg, and Chris Columbus.[2] The film stars Kea Peahu, Alex Aiono, Lindsay Watson, Owen Vaccaro and Kelly Hu. It premiered on Netflix on January 29, 2021.[3]

Finding ʻOhana
Official release poster
Directed byJude Weng
Written byChristina Strain
Produced byIan Bryce
Starring
CinematographyCort Fey
Edited byPriscilla Nedd Friendly
Music byJoseph Trapanese
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • January 29, 2021 (2021-01-29)
Running time
123 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

New York–raised Hawaiian siblings Pili and Ioane "E" temporarily relocate from New York to Oahu with their mother Leilani to help her father, Kimo, whose health and financial issues are becoming serious. Pili is an avid geocaching fan, and her malaise at being separated from her beloved New York is assuaged by secretly liberating an old diary from her grandfather's art studio. Meanwhile, E is distracted from his own search for better Internet signal by the requisite pretty local girl, Hana, who has big dreams of her own. The siblings find themselves learning about their Hawaiian heritage as Pili goes on a Goonies-style quest for lost pirate treasure. Pili is aided on her quest by local boy Casper, a nerdy but resourceful boy with a big heart, and joined by E and Hana.

Cast

Production

In September 2019, it was announced Netflix had picked up the rights to Jude Weng's feature film debut. Christina Strain would write, with the film being "a Goonies-esque adventure movie starring mostly Datas".[2] Ian Bryce of Ian Bryce Productions would produce the film with Irene Yeung and JJ Hook executive producing and Katie Malott associate producing. Kea Peahu and Alex Aiono would star as the two main siblings with Marc Evan Jackson, Lindsay Watson, Owen Vaccaro, Kelly Hu, Ricky Garcia, Ryan Higa, Mapuana Makia, Brad Kalilimoku, X Mayo, and Kyndra Sanchez in the ensemble cast, as well as original The Goonies star Ke Huy Quan.[4][5]

Finding ʻOhana was shot in Brooklyn, Hawaii, Thailand, and in the Dominican Republic.[2]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 22 critic reviews, with an average rating of 6.90/10.[6] According to Metacritic, which sampled seven critics and calculated a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, the film received "generally favorable reviews".[7]

References
  1. Green, Jennifer (January 26, 2020). "Finding ʻOhana - Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  2. Menta, Anna (January 29, 2021). "Netflix's 'Finding ʻOhana' Is The Modern Update 'The Goonies' Needed". Decider. Retrieved January 29, 2021. "Goonies holds such a special place in my heart. As a 90s Asian American kid, I didn't have a lot of Asian American representation to look up to, but I had Ke Huy Quan who played Data. I wrote a Goonies-esque adventure movie starring mostly Datas. And now it's a real movie my kids can watch, with Asian American and Pacific Islander heroes other AAPI kids can look up to. I'm always going to be grateful to Netflix for that." —Finding ʻOhana screenwriter Christina Strain
  3. Hough, Alexandra (December 16, 2020). "An Exclusive First Look at Netflix's Brand-New Family Film, Finding ʻOhana". PureWow. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  4. Kroll, Justin (September 30, 2019). "'Young Sheldon' Director's Feature Debut Finding ʻOhana Lands at Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  5. "Netflix Announces Ensemble Cast for Finding ʻOhana". BroadwayWorld. October 1, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  6. "Finding ʻOhana (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  7. "Finding ʻOhana Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
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