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Johnny Tsunami

Play trailer Poster for Johnny Tsunami TV-G 1999 1h 36m Kids & Family Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 3 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Young Hawaiian surfer Johnny Kapahala (Brandon Baker) gets a rude awakening when his dad relocates to Vermont -- a state seriously lacking in waves. There, he struggles to fit in at a private school where everyone skis. Luckily for Johnny, he meets public school student Sam (Lee Thompson Young), who instructs him in the art of snowboarding. And when a rivalry brews between Johnny and snooty skier Brett (Zachary Bostrom), they decide to settle their rivalry on the slopes.

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety Writers Doug Sloan and Ann Knapp take a cliched situation and don't do much with it, but script's brisk pacing moves the plot along swiftly enough to keep interest. Sep 9, 2019 Full Review Austin Gayle The Ringer The kid simply doesn’t miss... Apr 25, 2023 Full Review Emily Ashby Common Sense Media Brimming over with positive messages about perseverance, friendship, forgiveness... Johnny Tsunami has lots to offer kids in addition to the action-packed surfing and snowboarding scenes. Rated: 4/5 Sep 9, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Ed R Good nostalgia but meant for kids. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/22/25 Full Review Ava S like 3.9 why was that actually lowkey interesting lol- Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/15/24 Full Review Monsol E Like most DCOMs of the time, it's fun, but flawed. The setup of "kid from the tropics gets moved to a ice cube" is solid, I like how Johnny always keeps his positive attitude, even when everything's out to wreck him, and grandpa ruled! But the preppy bullies, the DUUUUUMB plot about the divided mountain, and Johnny's jerk-for-no-reason dad all dragged it down. Still, this is a pretty good watch, if it sounds like you'll enjoy it, you probably will. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/18/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is about fast paced action and energy with a lot on the line in terms of competition and self worth but what it also does is spotlight friendship perseverance and acceptance of change and growth while narratively it's surface leveled the actors do a tremendous job conveying what the story fails to do Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review andy h Though there are plenty of narrative flaws that would be reprised later on, it's a lot more engaging and well crafted in terms of acting, sets, and downright emotion. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie is cheesy, but I enjoyed it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/17/19 Full Review Read all reviews
Johnny Tsunami

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Cast & Crew

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Steve Boyum

Director

Brandon Baker

Johnny Kapahaala

Kirsten Storms

Emily

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

Johnny Tsunami

Lee Thompson Young

Sam Sterling

Yuji Okumoto

Pete
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Johnny Tsunami

Johnny Tsunami (1999) Johnny Tsunami (1999) Johnny Tsunami (1999) Johnny Tsunami (1999) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Young Hawaiian surfer Johnny Kapahala (Brandon Baker) gets a rude awakening when his dad relocates to Vermont -- a state seriously lacking in waves. There, he struggles to fit in at a private school where everyone skis. Luckily for Johnny, he meets public school student Sam (Lee Thompson Young), who instructs him in the art of snowboarding. And when a rivalry brews between Johnny and snooty skier Brett (Zachary Bostrom), they decide to settle their rivalry on the slopes.
Director
Steve Boyum
Producer
Gerald T. Olson
Screenwriter
Ann Austen, Douglas Sloan
Production Co
Walt Disney Productions
Rating
TV-G
Genre
Kids & Family, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 2, 2016
Runtime
1h 36m