By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
Gather the kids and let’s be thankful for “Moana” (pronounced Mo-ahna) – with songs co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Hamilton”).
On Motunui in Oceania, teenage Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) lived in an idyllic, self-sustaining Polynesian community. But, as daughter of Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison), she has been forbidden to travel beyond the barrier reef that surrounds their isolated island.
When she discovers her ancestors’ sea-faring past, her ailing Gramma Tala (Rachel House) explains that she has been chosen by the ocean to control its waves.
Plucky Moana calls on this watery power when her island’s resources deteriorate because the heart of Goddess Te Feti was stolen. Accompanied by Hei Hei (Alan Tudyk), a goofy, rainbow-colored chicken, she searches for the disgraced demigod Maui (Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson).
Using his magic fish hook, swaggering Maui, a tattoo-covered trickster, can shapeshift. But capable Moana prevails and, together, they hit the high seas on a quest, carrying a message of identity and staying true to your convictions.
Created as an adventurous coming-of-age story by Jared Bush (“Zootopia”) and Taika Waititi, along with directors Ron Clemente & John Musker (“Aladdin”), it evokes Polynesia’s folkloric beliefs, containing elements from Fijian, Samoan and Tahitian traditions. Moana means ‘ocean’ in Maori.
Demonstrating culturally sensitive casting: Auli’i Cravalho is Hawaiian, Dwayne Johnson’s mother is of Samoan descent, plus New Zealand actors who are part Maori – Jermaine Clement, Temuera Morrison and Rachel House – while Nicole Scherzinger has Hawaiian/Filipino roots.
Lin-Manuel Miranda worked with composer Mark Mancina (“Tarzan”) and Tokelauan-Tuvaluan Opetaia Tavia Foa’i, lead singer of South Pacific fusion band Te Vaka, crafting Moana’s melodic “Know Who You Are” and “How Far I’ll Go,” along with Maui’s “You’re Welcome.” Miranda sings “We Know the Way.”
The animation is amazing, filled with phosphorescent vegetation and shimmering blue water, and this is the first Disney princess movie without a love interest.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Moana” sets sail with an enlightened, empowering 8, introducing a new Disney heroine.
Writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig makes an impressive feature debut with “The Edge of Seventeen,” a coming-of-age comedy, evoking nostalgic recollections of “Clueless” “Heathers,” “”Juno,” “10 Things I Hate About You” and “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”
When 17 year-old Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) discovers that her best – and only friend – Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) has hooked up with her handsome, popular older brother Darian (Blake Jenner), she feels betrayed and hopelessly alone – sure that her life has fallen apart.
While Nadine has always had problems with Darian and her harried, self-involved mother, Mona (Kyra Sedgwick), after her father (Eric Keenleyside) died, things went from bad to worse.
“Everyone in the world is as miserable and empty as I am,” widowed Mona asserts. “They’re just better at pretending.”
Openly hostile, frumpy and socially awkward Nadine idolizes ‘bad boy’ Nick (Alexander Calvert) and is shyly, amusingly adored by nerdy Edwin (Hayden Szeto).
An outcast and misfit among her classmates, Nadine’s only confidante is her snarky History teacher (Woody Harrelson), whose lunch break she interrupts with brash, dramatic outbursts`.
What makes it work is that Kelly Fremon Craig has her finger on the pulse of teenage angst, perceptively guiding Hailee Steinfeld’s compelling, multi-layered performance with a firm hand.
On the Granger Gauge, “The Edge of Seventeen” is a savvy, wryly sardonic 7 – depicting the fragility of adolescent angst without being self-conscious.
In “Almost Christmas,” it’s been a tough year for mild-mannered Walter Meyers (Danny Glover). A retired automotive engineer in Birmingham, Alabama, he’s lost his beloved wife Grace.
Which is why – five days before Christmas – he’s so looking forward to his four adult children and their youngsters returning home for the holidays.
There’s open hostility between recently divorced law student/mom Rachel (Gabrielle Union) and her over-achieving older sister, Cheryl (Kimberly Elise), a dentist whose flirtatious husband Lonnie (J.B. Smoove) is an obnoxious, ego-centric ex-basketball pro.
Walter’s older son Christian (Romany Malco) is an ambitious politician, running for Congress, who arrives with his wife Sonya (Nichole Ari Parker) and his campaign manager, Alan (John Michael Higgins), while his much younger brother, Evan (Jessie T. Usher), is a college football player who has become addicted to pain killers after a recent injury.
Trying to fill in for her deceased sister, sassy Aunt May (Mo’Nique), who has been touring the world as a backup singer, prepares an international ‘welcoming’ buffet which turns out to be inedible – unless one’s culinary taste revolves around kimchi.
There are numerous farcical hijinks, plus Rachel’s reuniting with neighbor Malachi (Omar Epps), her high-school sweetheart, and nostalgia surfaces when it’s discovered that Walter is secretly planning to sell the large family home.
Writer/director David E. Talbert (“Baggage Claim”) throws in nostalgic sketches, like Walter’s pathetic attempt to re-create Grace’s famous Yuletide sweet-potato pie, but the result is yet another, episodic, overly contrived, dysfunctional family comedy/drama.
Actually, the best chuckle comes when Walter wearily mutters, “I’m too old for this ####,” a not-so-subtle reference to his memorable “Lethal Weapon” quip.
On the Granger Gauge, “Almost Christmas” is a familiar, formulaic 5, including the outtakes during the final credits.
( Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
