Finding Ohana review: Netflix made a touching take on Goonies

Netflix has recently dabbled in kid-friendly superhero and spy movies, so it’s fitting that its next kid-friendly adventure follows another well-used genre – the treasure hunt. In the tradition of the classic 1985 treasure hunt The Goonies, Find ‘Ohana follows a group of children braving a series of dangers while searching for secret pirate treasure. But director Jude Weng updates the idea by turning the bigger stakes into children’s family dramas and adding specific notes about the Hawaiian culture that defines the characters.

While the movie stretches too thin with a few plot points and adds unnecessary conflict, Find ‘Ohana uses her Quest Tale to tell a sweet story about rebirth with family and culture.

[Ed. Note: This review contains slight spoilers for Finding ’Ohana.]

The family trip begins when 12-year-old geocaching enthusiast Pili (Kea Peahu) finds herself in Hawaii with her mother Leilani (Kelly Hu) and older brother Ioane (Alex Aiono) after her grandfather, Papa (Branscombe) Richmond), has a heart attack. Although Pili and Ioane were both born in Hawaii, they have lived in Brooklyn for most of their lives. Leilani is worried about her father, but has had unresolved tensions with him since she left the island years ago after her husband died.

Pili is originally disappointed with the trip as it takes her away from the geocaching camp. But then she discovers an old journal detailing a hidden treasure. Along with brave animal lover Casper (Owen Vaccaro) and responsible teenager Hana (Lindsay Watson), Pili and Ioane begin to search for the lost fortune, hoping it might save their grandfather’s land from foreclosure.

The complex family dynamics are central to the film, although some conflicts become more relevant than others. The strongest sons end up coming from the characters who are together for most of the movie. After a second accident, Papa is bedridden and he and Leilani argue over what it means for his future, while Ioane and Pili must settle their differences on a dangerous quest. These bows have nuance and weight, without any true or false. In the end, the family members all came to understand each other a little better. Ioane and Pili feel like real brothers and sisters, very specific things they tease each other about the way they fight physically. The treasure hunt is important to the film, but the family dynamic gives Find ‘Ohana his heart.

Less smooth, however, is the disconnect between Leilani and her children. The movie hints that it has to do with their late father, but as Ioane calls on his mother not to spend enough time with them at home and to throw herself into work, it’s not even clear what her job is. Ioane and Pili feel betrayed that their mother is considering selling their Brooklyn apartment without consulting them, while Leilani feels guilty for leaving her father behind. That alone would be heavy enough, were it not for the absent, work-obsessed mum piece, which seems to have been added to complicate the emotions further. But since the children spend most of the film away from their mothers, their problems are not resolved as cleanly.

As for the treasure hunt itself, just like that of 2019 Dora and the lost city of gold, Find ‘Ohana manages to keep the thrill-seeking archaeological adventure genre, but also to question some of its uglier aspects. As fun as the treasure hunt can be in adventures like Indiana Jones and The Mummy film franchises, it relies on the desecration of graves and the theft of artifacts from other cultures. In Find ‘Ohana, this is well subverted: Pili and his friends want to find the treasure to help save his grandfather’s land, but realize the glory and the riches that are not important.

They find the cave hidden in the log and their hike is full of natural obstacles and traps, spooky spiders, and spooky skeletons. As Pili, Ioane, Hana, and Casper venture through the cave, they bond and argue and eventually piece together the whole story behind the hidden treasure. It’s satisfying to see their jokes evolve. And in the end, Weng finds a way to discover adventure – the characters face the consequences of stumbling over places they shouldn’t, and ultimately learn more about their own Hawaiian culture.

The movie works best when it focuses on two things: the treasure hunt and the family story. They marry wonderfully, siblings learning more about local legends and customs and each other through their adventure. But there are a handful of superfluous plot points that don’t get dealt with as cleanly. Ioane finds a secret Juilliard app in Hana’s car, which quickly disappears from the script, is then mentioned for three seconds in the third act of the film, then abandoned again. They end up kissing, because of course, why not add some random teenage romance? Most of the scavenger hunt is exciting, but some stakes like a deadly spider bite only hurt the overall mission. Weng and stretch the film too thin at times, when they should just focus on the core strengths of the film.

Because in the end Find ‘Ohana does not relate to these additional plot points. Heck, it’s not even about finding treasure. It is about reconnecting with the family and discovering a cultural heritage. This cultural uniqueness is what separates it from the treasure hunting movies of the past, where the thrill of the hunt came from the glory of wealth; in Find ‘OhanaThe customs and legends of Hawaiian culture color the fun entertainment, but also reinforce the family themes. For the most part, Weng mixes adventure and sentimentality, but in the end, Find ‘Ohana works when it focuses on the ohana in its heart.

Find ‘Ohana is now streaming on Netflix.