I found the first few minutes of this movie to be quite enjoyable, especially the reaction of the Fijians to the very un-P.C. Three Stooges clip (set in Samoa).

However, the film took a bizarre turn from what I expected and began to focus heavily on the interpersonal drama of the family and the islanders; John’s experience running the cinema sort of transitioned into a neglected subplot.

The first interaction with their (Australian?) landlord struck me as bizarre and inappropriate, and extremely hostile without much context. Later in the movie, the hostility continues with another incident. But it’s hard to tell whether the Australian man is a jerk, or if the New Yorkers are just being extremely rude Americans, or what.

The family relationships with the Fijians seems to quickly deteriorate (aside from Georgia’s friendship with Miriama), as it seems they are all unable to assimilate. This had the effect of making me reconsider the idea of ever spending an extended period of time in a non-westernized country, because I certainly don’t want to inflict this much rude, bossy, gringo behaviour on the locals.

Wyatt (the son) seemed to have a really good head on his shoulders about the whole thing, and was able to see that his Dad is actually barely adapting, just keeping up with his old ways in a new place. I really did not enjoy the amount of time spent following the family. The teenage daughter seems especially rude to her parents when contrasted with the way her peers are portrayed. And the parents, at times, seem really suspicious of the locals and even almost disappointed by the new life they’ve entered. John, who admits to being an “old dog”, butts heads with the local missionaries by stubbornly scheduling his movies at the same time as their services, despite their pleas.

It was interesting for me to consider the different responses to films being taken out of their usual context. For example, that action films are more widely understood than comedies or movies which rely on more nuanced themes. Like Janet, I worry about the impact of the western values being expressed in movies like “Jackass” (that seem to have no respect for property or people)—what kind of message does this send about our culture, and what kind of effect could it have on the way the Fijian kids relate to the world around them?

The family seems to get really sentimental about their time on the island once they are faced with the prospect of leaving, but I don’t know if the village will actually miss them when they’re gone, or just breathe a sigh of relief that life can return to normal.