The Legend of Johnny Lingo (2003)
When a storm washes a canoe bearing an infant boy ashore upon a small South Pacific island, he is at first well-received as a gift from the heavens, even to the point of the tribal chief adopting him as a successor. However, with time as hardships are blamed upon Tama (as he is named), he is finally outcast to live with the poorest people on the island, Mahana and her drunken father. Mahana is considered homely and undesirable, but Tama feels differently, so when he is old enough to build a craft to sail away, he vows to return for her one day. A lucky stroke brings him to land upon the island of the legendary Johnny Lingo, the wealthiest trader in the islands, and after years of service to him, Tama has learned much about life and himself as he dreams of honoring his pledge to Mahana.
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The leads and the supporting characters that get the most screen time are solid (a couple of them appeared in "Whale Rider", where they were outstanding, so you know that they were capable of more than they were given here) -- the shortcomings are primarily in the script, I think. Some of the supporting cast are a bit wooden, and the script is often a little cliched, but it's very sweet and the locations are beautiful.It's a very gentle film with its heart in the right place, so I would recommend it for younger kids, and I think that most adults won't mind watching it with their kids. If you're a softie like my wife, you'll actually enjoy it...
On a hunch I decided to see what I knew was destined to be a much overlooked flick entitled "The Legend of Johnny Lingo". This turned out to be the finest movie I've personally seen in the past decade. The movie lacks foul language. It also lacks blatant sex. Further, it will not be classified as an action movie ... and yet ... well, as a teaser I will just say that it is perhaps best described as a human corollary of that old "Ugly Duckling" story. Take your date or the entire family too. Even though it won't, in my humble opinion THIS movie should receive the highest awards ever bestowed upon the industry and it's actors.Bottom line: DON'T MISS THIS ONE! 'NUF SAID!the humble recluse ...
I saw this movie a couple of days after it opened. The theater was packed. It is not a movie with deep twists and plots, it's a child's movie. A visually beautiful movie. I lived in Hawaii for three years as a child and this movie brought back memories of how beautiful the islands in the South Pacific are. It also reminded me of the good clean action movies that used to come on TV on the Wonderful World of Disney. Anybody remember watching those movies growing up? Hollywood doesn't make many movies like this anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I saw this movie on opening day with about 20 other people (total in the theater); I took my kids & wife to see it today (theater filled this time). It is a nice update to the old campy movie. Although inexpensively done it is well acted, funny, interesting, compelling and fun. It is still campy, however. The central message (that we can influence the self-esteem of others by the way we treat them, whether good or bad) has been expanded nicely. There are a few BIG plot holes and silly movie mistakes (nobody but the main characters seem to age; how did all the cows get there in the end? etc.) but overall it is quite enjoyable. It didn't move me to tears but it was moving; the ending, though contrived, is quite satisfying. And best of all, my favorite line from the old movie ("Mahana, you ugly! get down from that tree") is also in this version. Hey, it won't win any awards, but it was good enough just the same. A definite 7 or 7.5 out of 10.