FINDING ‘OHANA
An entertaining Hawaiian treasure hunt whose mysticism is for adults only.
Should You Watch It?
FINDING ‘OHANA is a lively treasure-hunt adventure with a warm center. Its strongest elements are the family's love for one another, the children's willingness to sacrifice, and their growing desire to help and support family. The movie also carries the energy of an old-fashioned adventure comedy.
The concern is not the family message. It is the movie's pagan Hawaiian mysticism, which stresses the belief that dead people become spirits and become part of the Earth. Brief light foul language adds a smaller concern, while the story also runs longer than it needs to.
So, if you are a discerning adult who can engage those ideas thoughtfully, this is worth watching on Netflix. For children and young teens, choose another adventure.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESPili and her brother, Ioane, leave New York City to visit their grandfather in Hawaii because he is not well. Pili loves puzzles and adventure, while Ioane is more focused on getting a girl's number.
While the family reunites, memories and photographs of their late father keep resurfacing. Then Pili discovers an old journal describing a secret treasure on the island. With help from her brother and two friends, she begins searching for it, hoping the treasure can help her family.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is an entertaining, lively adventure with real family appeal, though it does not fully sustain its energy. The movie has the feel of the 1985 adventure comedy THE GOONIES, with young people searching for treasure in Hawaii.
Its moral elements give the story added weight, especially its emphasis on sacrifice and learning to help and support family. But the movie drags on a bit too long, keeping it from being as effective as it could be.
The Worldview
FINDING ‘OHANA presents a mixed worldview. Alongside its moral, redemptive elements about family and sacrifice, the movie features pagan Hawaiian mysticism. It stresses the belief that people who die become spirits and become part of the Earth.
That belief departs from a biblical understanding of death and the afterlife. The movie's positive emphasis on supporting family and sacrificing for family, however, aligns with Scripture's call to bear one another's burdens. “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Mixed pagan worldview features pagan mysticism about spirits and an afterlife where people become a part of the Earth, with some moral, redemptive elements stressing family and sacrificing for family
Foul Language
10 light obscenities and three light profanities
Violence
Light violence involves jeopardy with characters slipping and falling in a cave
Sex
No sex
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drug use;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Lying.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Pili wants to find the treasure to help her family. What does sacrificial love look like in your family, and when can helping others become selfless rather than self-centered?
Philippians 2:3–4 · Galatians 6:2The family carries memories of a father who died years earlier. What does the Bible teach about remembering those we love while trusting God with death and the future?
Psalm 34:18 · 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14The film presents the idea that dead people become spirits who become part of the Earth. How does that compare with what Scripture says about God, death, and eternal life?
John 11:25–26 · Hebrews 9:27The story includes lying. Why does truthfulness matter when you are trying to help your family?
Ephesians 4:25 · Proverbs 12:22The Final Word
FINDING ‘OHANA offers a lively adventure, a warm family message, and meaningful themes of sacrifice and support. Its pagan mysticism and brief foul language make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults, it is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.
