Chasing Mavericks (2012)

Wow! Such a good movie.

Brilliant and touching

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

As you might expect, Chasing Mavericks follows the same relative storyline of classic sports movies like Rocky and Karate Kid. The individual athlete, competitor, or whatever you want to call them tries to achieve the nearly impossible and still manage the rest of their lives. The one difference from the two above movies and Mavericks is that the latter is a true story, which makes a lot of the way it's set up different because you've got to deal with the factual stuff and get the other subplots of the kid's life and whatever.The basic plot is pretty well explained in the trailer. The teenage surfer, Jay, wants to ride one of the biggest waves in existence, and he gets the local surfing legend, Frosty, to train him for it. As he's training he has to deal with problems with his friend, though I never fully understood what the tension between was caused by, and his relationship with Kim. Both of these subplots could have been incorporated better. Frosty has some domestic issues in spending more time with his kids instead of surfing obsessively, which becomes a subplot as well. The main line of action was put together pretty well, but the subplots were kind of sloppy. I guess they kind of had to add them in since it had to be true to the real kid's life, but from a strictly cinematic perspective, they probably would have done better to leave all subplots out completely even though that might make for a kind of bland story. The main issue with all the subplots is that they are underdeveloped. Frosty needing to be a better dad is touched upon like it's going to be important, but then gets left alone. Jay's mom is given probably too little screen time considering that her problems were probably pretty important in Jay's life. And the scene at the beginning where the one nameless character beats her up didn't contribute to anything and probably should have been cut or if not explained a little better. The ending was pretty solid. I'd been told beforehand that Jay dies at the end, but I wasn't told how he died, so I thought he might have died when he goes under when surfing Mavericks. The suspense of that scene was pretty good, and was probably true to the real event. His eventual death wasn't done quite as well, but neither was it done poorly.The characters are a pretty big factor, but the only ones with any true development are Jay, Frosty, Kim, Frosty's wife Brenna. Jay is written pretty well and we can see him grow throughout the movie, though the acting for his part could have been a little better. Frosty's character has the inverse problems of Jay's since he's played well by Gerald Butler, but is poorly scripted in the sense that he's basically always ticked off at Jay, or surfing, or life in general. Brenna dies about three-quarters through the movie, which I didn't think was such a great idea for the storyline unless she actually did die at that point in time. Kim gets a decent amount of screen time, but she's also written with shaky proficiency. I would say that her character should have been left out completely, but since she ended up marrying Jay I guess they couldn't do that. Her relationship with Jay progresses a lot like the one in the '02 Spiderman, where Mary Jane just suddenly realizes that Peter's the one for her after talking to him like twice, though of course here we don't have the alter ego issue.For technical execution, it did decently. The surfing scenes were pretty well done, though you can tell they probably used more than a few sequences with GoPros, and they didn't include so many of them that it would turn off non-surfing fans. Jay's training was pretty well done too, and each of the different training scenes were a good length and included at palatable intervals. The soundtrack includes a lot of alternative music, most likely from the nineties. The script and acting were C+ to B- level. None of the camera-work is spectacular at any point.I don't know if I would recommend this to surfing fans, but I will say that it isn't like Soul Surfer and doesn't try to be despite their similarities. If you're a fan of inspirational sports movies, true or not, it definitely fits that genre. It's not really my scene, but in terms of the genre, I would say it's about average, maybe a little bit below average. It's not a bad family movie, though you might have some trouble coming across a DVD copy of it. To a completely unbiased prospective viewer, I would say: consider it, but not too strongly. Overall Rating: 6.8/10.

I am amazed that this movie came and went out of the theater so fast one year ago. Seemed like the critics were not into this one from the get-go which, basically, killed it before it had a chance. It's obvious they look like complete fools, which most happen to be. C'mon, to be able to write a review on a movie you just watched is not rocket science. In fact, it's not even as difficult as my 6th grade Physical Science class. I'm writing one at this moment and most people can.There's one thing that only a baby's handful of people can do: surf the largest and most dangerous wave on the entire planet: MAVERICKS!! This is a very special place to me. I went to college in San Francisco starting in 1991 and lived there for 10 years, but I grew up in Orange County, CA and was a surfer. We always thought the waves in SoCal were the best in California. We sure were ignorant. I didn't surf as much in NorCal because the water is frigid and it gets big and nasty. I lived in an apartment on campus the first semester, and was assigned 3 other roommates, which two of them surfed.Most of the time we went to Ocean Beach in SF because the school was very close. We were only 20 miles from Half Moon Bay which is where Mavericks breaks. I lived there during an El Nino year, 1994, and went to watch. What a sight to see! The surfer has never been given the respect and praise that is due to them. (I'm not saying they're asking for it either) People ought to be able to see that they are the world's greatest athletes by far. They are in the best shape because if they aren't, they will drown. They are also the strongest just from paddling through sets of waves every day. They are the toughest. Try surfing beaches in Santa Cruz if you're not a local and see what happens. They are fearless and very intelligent. They don't care about marketing, bling, cars, etc. All they care about are waves.Like Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) says in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, "...surfing's not a sport, it's a way of life, it's no hobby. It's a way of looking at that wave and saying, 'Hey bud, let's party!" The movie hit it perfectly. The acting was spot on for the type of people you'll meet in Santa Cruz. The writing was excellent and did not get corny like most true stories or sports type movies. It was not over-dramatized which was cool. Of course, the shots of Mavericks when it's huge was gorgeous. My favorite thing about this whole movie were the surfing scenes at Mavericks. I always get goose bumps, and I was even yelling encouragements at the TV. The soundtrack was excellent even though most were released after 1987. I thought it was great that there was a Butthole Surfer's song playing during the scene when the antagonist drops in on another guys wave and pushes him off his board. Very clever.See this movie if you haven't already. It's fantastic. If you don't like it, then you're hopeless like all the smart critics. Get some Kleenex.

I wanted to see this movie because 1) It was shot ON LOCATION in my beloved college town of Santa Cruz, 2) It stars hottie Gerald Butler, and 3) I'd heard it was one of those "Based on True Events" stories I JUST CAN'T RESIST about plucky, inspiring people who make you want to be a better person...So I loaded it into the DVR (...entirely unaware of the story of the teen surfer who had tackled a killer 70 foot wave at Mavericks back in 1994) and watched it today, hoping for nothing more than some good shots of Gerard Butler in a tight wetsuit...At first, I confess, I was put off by "After School Special" vibe I was getting from this movie...not to mention that all the female characters seemed like "Insert Beach Chick Tool With A Heart of Gold" types...so I kept wandering off to make lunch, clean the house, etc, etc......Then I realized I'd missed all the good footage of sexy young bucks surfing (Fun Fact: Young Jonny Weston who plays Jay Moriarty actually had 10 years of surfing under his belt before starring in this movie!)...So I rewound just to catch the all best shots of hot young surfers and my favorite shots of the Santa Cruz shoreline...and finally started to realize what was about to pay off in the last 30 minutes of this otherwise predictable movie at the historic big waves set up at Mavericks!!SO...I hit pause and actually Googled the REAL story of Jay Moriarty's historic, epic day at Mavericks at the age of 16, a day that made surfing history in 1994...So by the time I returned to the movie for the last 30 minutes...I was on the edge of my seat! I knew how the story would end, but how the hell would they film it??I watched the end of the movie, then spent another TWO HOURS on YouTube learning how the filmmakers captured those last 30 minutes! That turned me into a big fan of the film!At the end of the day, this is a lovely True Life Story with a big heart. Yes, I was crying by the end of the film. It's a lovely story.Filmmakers should watch the last 30 minutes with great respect for the Big Wave Surfers and cameramen who captured that sequence! NONE of the final climatic footage was done with CGI! That's all real bad ass Big Wave surfers, tackling real bad ass big waves at Mavericks, shot by real bad ass cinematographers!! (Who 6 expensive Red Epic high def digital cameras on the day in the process!) It's an impressive story. Check out all the Behind the Scenes stories on YouTube.Big props to the stunt surfers and cinematographers who captured the last 30 minutes of this movie! Elizabeth

Critically and commercially unsuccessful document on a sweet, hard-working, mature 16-year old kid, Jay (Jonny Weston), saving up his pizza-shop money--unless his rather shifty, struggling single mom (Elizabeth Shue) needs to borrow some--who learns to ride the massive waves of the mythic "Mavericks" from a surfing lifer, Frosty Hesson (Gerard Butler, very good here). Jay dedicates himself to learning to surf difficult waves that can pound and drown you if you are unable to hold your breath and power through it all while under water. Frosty is reasonable but demanding, with Jay up to the task. This is really about determination and sheer guts, but, most of all, it is about the love of surfing and leaving your mark in this life. Because Jay is such a class act (as is Frosty, coming from a tough childhood without parental guidance and love due to their departure/absence from his life at an early age), and doesn't just surrender under the pressure (in fact, he perseveres), he achieves exactly what he sets out to do. Holding his breath, navigating the tides, and writing a thesis about the learning process of the surf, Jay makes strides but the challenges provide obstacles he will have to overcome. Jay is smitten with a hot, radiant blonde teen named Kim (Leven Rambin), popular in school while he just isn't. Eventually the two, friends since kids, will acknowledge their love for one another. Jay also has a drug-dealing pal named Blond (Devin Crittenden), the buddy responsible for teaching him how to surf (the two skateboard empty pools, too). Jay bonds with Frosty and Frosty's lovely family, including the missus, Brenda (Abigail Spencer). The story, based on real events, is all about the love and lifestyle built around surfing, stretching the limits and achieving your dreams. When Frosty suffers a devastating loss, Jay is his pillar of strength, paddling out to find the grieving mentor under an alcoholic duress. There are some smart-aleck verbal bullies always heckling Jay but cannot hold a candle to the kid when surfing the waves. The approach to the story is straight-forward and acted competently. Jay accomplished a lot in his mere 22 years on this earth (his life was cut short by a tragedy "free diving"), and those who knew him (for the most part; even the bullies and those in school that ignored him, eventually come to admire and respect him) were grateful to have been a part of that short life. Butler took a break from the usual brash, loud, boisterous, cocky, and galvanizing parts for this thoughtful, wise, reserved, and caring role as a father figure for a teenager who desperately needed one. Spencer, fashioned in hippie garb, with a soft voice and delicate approach to confronting/addressing issues (mostly regarding Jay) to her husband, is so captivatingly beautiful. Shue, who comes and goes in the film, mostly presented as irresponsible and unrefined, has a nice moment at the end when it is Jay's birthday, bestowing a gift to her son, while also paying him back borrowed money (thanks to a promotion; she also improves her life by taking responsibility for her actions) Weston has a cherubic quality to him, and his handling of people (even when bullies antagonize him) says a great deal about his character. Surfing, as you'd expect, is treated as an almost spiritual event, the ride of the waves the climax of the quest resulting from passionate labor and intense training.