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Blue Crush
2002 - PG-13 - 101 Mins.
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| Director: John Stockwell | | Producer: Brian Grazer, Karen Kehela | | Written By: John Stockwell, Lizzy Weiss | | Starring: Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Matthew Davis, Mika Boorem, Sanoe Lake |
| Review by: Joe Rickey |
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A group of girls who live and die surfing in Maui enter a male-oriented surfing competition. However, dreams of the first ever female winner are threatened when one of them falls in love.
Blue Crush features beautiful waves and scenery which is more important than you would think in that the film is a production about the world of surfing. The cinematography of Maui is stunning and the ample surfing sequences are examples of a pure adrenaline rush for the viewer. They are filmed in such a way that you feel as if you are actually there in the water riding the waves yourself. The countless surfers in the film are also part of the equation that makes the surfing scenes so fun to behold. They perform some astounding stunts and mixed with a solid editing job, the surfing in this film is probably the best example of surfing in a feature film in the last thirty years. The part of the film that doesn’t involve surfing is a romantic edged girl power flick mixed with humor. This part of the film isn’t as bad as you would expect as it is touching at times and the aforementioned humor is quite funny. It only lags when characters start giving speeches that are supposed to be uplifting but really are just tired and recycled clichés.
The acting is better than you might expect because lead Kate Bosworth mixes the right amount of vulnerability and toughness with good looks. She is a real find and will probably be seen more often after the inevitable success of this film. People such as Michelle Rodriguez play the supporting performances as the fellow female surfers. She once again spends much of the film angry and doesn’t really impress while doing so. This actress needs to spread her wings a little more because she has played the angry female part in her last three movies The Fast and the Furious, Resident Evil and now Blue Crush. Real life surfer Sanoe Lake plays the third of the three friends that form the base of the film. Her role doesn’t involve much more than continuously encouraging Bosworth’s character that she can in fact win the competition. The lead male role of Bosworth’s love interest is played by Matt Davis (Legally Blonde). He is left with line after line of clichéd dialog that you have no doubt heard in almost every romantic movie made in the last twenty years.
Overall, despite some clichéd dialog and a tired romantic subplot I can’t help but recommend this movie if not just to witness the solid acting by lead Bosworth and the ultra fun surfing sequences.
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