Take Home Pay

If you want to watch a film with the intent of being a film critic you can spout pretentious negative comments about just about anything. When the credits roll, the only question asked should be "Was that entertaining?". If you laughed, cried, or thought about something more deeply then the film delivered. This is not Citizen Kane but how many of us are always in the mood for a movie like Citizen Kane?

This movie is obviously a regional, indie-style film intended to give the folks of Samoa something to be proud of. It's lighthearted, incredibly optimistic and quite funny. As a Canadian with pretty much no knowledge of the islands I was very surprised to find myself quickly interested in the film and delighted to be laughing so frequently. Tofiga Fepulea'i will have you giggling throughout at his sheer absurdity. If you're one of those folks who Googles while you watch you'll find yourself looking up a number of obvious cameos just to feel like you've done them credit. Is this an international classic? Nope. Was it intended to be? Definitely not. The idea was to expose you to a culture you might know little about and make you laugh. It certainly did both for me.

As a Samoan woman who attended the Premiere with my 10 year old - we thoroughly enjoyed the ride through a story that 3 generations can relate to. Humour is cleverley weaved throughout a familiar story of opportunity in NZ for seasonal work with an outcome to support families back home or to move into independence away from the island life.

Tofiga adds an extra edge through his role as Bob Titilo and in typical 'Tofiga' style - his mastery at making people laugh doesnt dissapoint. Both Alama (Vito) and Popo(Taulafo) provide strong performances with a subtle message through their connection as contrasting brothers and both bring a fresh perspective to the migration story. I laughed, I cried, I remembered - the laughter allows you to reflect on nostalgic moments that you will remember as a kid about Samoa, about parents sacrifice and the pros and cons of the land of milk and honey. Malo le taumafai - malo le tauivi. #IFYKYK

I watched this movie not knowing what to expect. I don't soak samoan but subtitles made the dialog easy to follow. I loved this movie. It was funny, moving, and inspiring all at the same time. The character of Bob Titilo was so funny. The relationship between Alama and Popo was very touching but at times I wanted to beat Popo up. Overall a very enjoyable movie.

Be an open-minded guest welcomed into contemporary Samoan stories that showcase their cultural values, challenges and humor. Its a tale about seasonal workers relocating to New Zealand looking to get ahead but one of which desires a wider range of fun and double crosses his friend in the process.

There's a lot of comedy sketches and phrasing one might recognize if they are familiar with Tofiga, of the comedy duo "The Laughing Samoans" and other Poly productions. Solid performances by the other actors, supporting and incidental, also keep this comedy action film pretty interesting and enjoyable.

With audio in Samoan and English, because the accents were sometimes harder to understand, I wish there had been subtitles for both languages. I toggled between a 6 and 7 rating, but chose the latter because it is a great but fun "slice of life" film most of the family can enjoy together, and highlights the importance of family values.

Awesome, refreshing to see polynesian people and especially samoan actors and actresses doing their thing. My kids when do not speak samoan know the man name Tofiga. They could not stop laughing through the movie. I dont except a lot of people to understand this type of comedy. As David Tua put it O for Owesome lol. Faafetai lava.