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Home / Bay of Plenty Times / Lifestyle

DVD review: Jonah From Tonga

Craig Nicholson
NZME. regionals·
29 Aug, 2014 12:00 AM2 mins to read

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Chris Lilley as Jonah, a fun-filled lad who's forever testing his elders' patience.

Chris Lilley as Jonah, a fun-filled lad who's forever testing his elders' patience.

Jonah From Tonga
(R16), Roadshow Entertainment

The ageless Jonah Takalua first appeared on our screens in 2007 in Chris Lilley's wonderful Summer Heights High.

The energetic and naughty Tongan schoolboy (played by Lilley) was an irrepressible spirit who defied teachers and family alike. Now Jonah gets to revel in his own six-part mockumentary as we learn more about the troubled boy.

When we left Jonah seven years ago, he had been expelled from school for one naughty deed too many.

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Now we join him on his road to redemption, which begins with a journey home to Tonga to reconnect with his roots and learn a few hard life lessons.

But Jonah's hi-jinx don't go down too well in the kingdom and he is soon sent home to a new life at a Catholic school.

Though he would like to go through life just playing jokes and break dancing, more is expected of him.

His life becomes a rollercoaster of fights, trouble and law breaking and he ends up in juvenile detention.

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Lilley's previous series, J'amie: Private School Girl, did get a little repetitive as J'amie offered too little variety in her character.

Jonah, on the other hand, has always been a lot of fun and rarely fails to bring a smile to your face with his childish and rude sense of humour.

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