Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Sadly Over-hyped

As Good As It Gets

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

It is truly a rare thing to see a film that contains a show of true strength and bravery without excessive violence...tenderness without overt sexual content...emotion without dysfunction...humor without making someone the victim. It's the best kind of drama - not white hat versus black hat, but a cast of nothing but ordinary people doing their best to do right by their loved ones, themselves, and yes, their faith. It's exciting in the way that life itself is and should be exciting - it's an adventure with a purpose, driven by the heart, and for that reason, just about unstoppable! There are those, of course, who dislike anything that portrays a character of Mormon faith, or of any religious faith, in a positive light. For them, there is no point in seeing such a film. For the rest of us, Mormon or not (I am not Mormon myself), it's a wonderful story of human determination, and an inspired young person with a full, multifaceted life, living out an amazing, eye-opening adventure.It does an excellent job reflecting and honoring Polynesian culture as well. As someone who has taken much time to study and experience Polynesian languages and traditions, I can tell you that there are no cheesy stereotypes here, which is great because for me, a poor representation of any indigenous culture is a total deal-breaker. This film brought me back to some island adventures of my own.In short, if I had kids, I'd definitely want them to see this movie...but since I don't, I really enjoyed it all by myself!

How Polynesians can fail to see how demeaning this movie is to our race is beyond me.Can you not see the many ways this movie insults us? There are obvious, as well as subtle ways that this movie very quietly attacks society's perspective of the Polynesian.A wise black woman once told me that she would not buy her daughter a white Barbie doll, not because it is white, but because of the silent message it conveys to her daughter. Buying her daughter a Barbie doll that resembles her own skin color and hair color, teaches her to value herself and her own beautiful ethnic traits.Elder Groberg almost loses his PERFECT eternal companion because the Tongan "savage" tries to get him to sleep with her. As if he didn't want it, too? How is she supposed to know any different if that's how she's raised? But do you see the subtle message here? Another subtle message is young, beautiful Polynesian women running off with these crusty old White sailors so their parents can have Booze? Oh PLEASE, if you can't get the message of this movie after seeing THAT part, you won't ever get it!

I saw this movie today and can't believe I waited so long after its release to see it. I stumbled on it on my cable channel and was so taken by it, I interrupted my afternoon plans to watch it in its entirely.Not only was the filmography incredible, but it was so beautifully directed. I can't believe this was Mitch Davis' Directorial debut! How do you do a work so incredible on your first work? The characters were portrayed so beautifully that it seemed that they were real people and not actors. It reminded me of one of my favorite stories of all time...James Michener's "Hawaii", yet it had its own sweetness and own story.I will put this on down as one of my top ten movies and highly recommend it to anyone who loves drama, hope, truth and love...amidst a beautiful island people.I give this 10 stars wholeheartedly!

My one liner says that this is an inspiring movie. Unfortunately, some of the other reviewers feel pretty uninspired by it. I guess their "a priori" hatred for the protagonist and his religion are the predicate for these feelings. This film is based on true events. It is not " Mormon propaganda" as suggested by many. The missionary happens to be a Mormon but the story would be as moving despite the denomination. It is the story of a young man on a religious mission to the Tongan people. His companion is a native and his mission is characterized by a love for this people, not condescension to them. How anyone could watch this film and come away with bad feelings is beyond me. The whole point of the film is about loving our fellow man and giving them due consideration. The protagonist has his detractors in the film also that he eventually wins over with his sincerity and goodness. If some one does not like this film--fine--but to use these pages as a canvas for painting one's hatred demonstrates the need for films of this kind. There is a lot of hatred and bigotry in the world that needs to be done away with. This film demonstrates one example of how understanding and respect develops between people. I'm sorry members of the "new inquisition" missed this point. I give it an 8 out of 10.