The Legend of Johnny Lingo

While the Polynesian background is stunning in first-time director Steven Ramirez's The Legend of Johnny Lingo, what goes on in the foreground is considerably less so. Based on a short story especially popular in Mormon circles (reputedly, except for scripture, LDS members may be more familiar with it than any other text), it's the strange tale of a despised orphan who's adopted by the titular character, a phenomenally successful island goods trader who passes on his identity to the youngster (rather like the Phantom without the purple suit), thus enabling the “new” Johnny Lingo to return to his native island and seek the hand of the one girl who befriended him, the shunned daughter of the village drunk. Intended as a universal fable about the--to quote Huey Lewis--power of love (and respect), the whole shebang comes across as both stilted and didactic, rather like a lesser live-action Disney feature. And the cast--mostly comprised of New Zealanders--doesn't possess the finesse to rise above the slackness of the writing, although the youngsters who take center-stage in the opening reels are engaging. Optional. (F. Swietek)