Chasing Mavericks
3/4
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jonny Weston, Leven Rambin, Abigail Spencer, Elisabeth Shue
Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Some Perilous Action
I wish I knew how to surf. It looks really cool. But here in the Midwest, the closest thing we have are skaters impressing each other with how close they come to performing a trick. So, apart from the rare trip to a coast, the closest thing I have are movies like "Chasing Mavericks," where, done right, I can surf vicariously through the characters on the screen.
Jay Moriarty (Weston) is a surfer living in California. He's basically raising himself because his mother's (Shue) drinking problem makes it difficult for her to keep a job, much less raise a kid. But when Jay sneaks on top of his neighbor Frosty's (Butler) van and sees him surfing the mythical Mavericks (read: HUGE waves), he wants Frosty to teach him how. Due to the nature of the Mavericks, Jay has 12 weeks to prepare for what may end up killing him.
This film is based on the true story of professional surfer Jay Moriarty (who died in a freediving accident in 2001), although like most films that are purportedly based on truth, what did or did not actually happen may or may not have happened in the film. Doesn't matter. This isn't a documentary. What is on-screen works. It's compelling and it kept me engaged.
The best performance goes to Gerard Butler. It takes a skilled actor to make a character who is essentially a jerk for half the movie into someone we like and understand. The script, by Kario Salem (based on a story by Jim Meenaghan and Brandon Hopper) uses surprisingly little melodramatic cliches to accomplish this. We don't know much about Frosty's backstory. Instead, Salem's script (plus Butler's talent) allow him to develop the character into a three-dimensional human being based on who he is, not what sort of traumas happened to him in the past. Less impressive is Jonny Weston. Apparently, there was an international search to find a lead actor to play Jay. They should have looked harder. Weston is stiff like no other...he's only marginally better than Taylor Lautner. Rarely is he ever convincing. This film could have easily been on my Top Ten list this year had a better actor been cast in the role. He fades into the background against everyone else on screen.
The film shares two directors (Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted...both respected and talented filmmakers), although they didn't work together. Hanson was the original director, although he had to drop out with three weeks of filming left due to health reasons. The good news is that one wouldn't realize this change without being told. There's no alarming change in tone or style; everything flows naturally as it were made by one filmmaker. It's a little long, maybe, but it kept my attention and I didn't check my watch. There are also a few minor subplots that are left hanging, but they are effective enough. Surf nuts and sports movie lovers would do well to check this one out.
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jonny Weston, Leven Rambin, Abigail Spencer, Elisabeth Shue
Rated PG for Thematic Elements and Some Perilous Action
I wish I knew how to surf. It looks really cool. But here in the Midwest, the closest thing we have are skaters impressing each other with how close they come to performing a trick. So, apart from the rare trip to a coast, the closest thing I have are movies like "Chasing Mavericks," where, done right, I can surf vicariously through the characters on the screen.
Jay Moriarty (Weston) is a surfer living in California. He's basically raising himself because his mother's (Shue) drinking problem makes it difficult for her to keep a job, much less raise a kid. But when Jay sneaks on top of his neighbor Frosty's (Butler) van and sees him surfing the mythical Mavericks (read: HUGE waves), he wants Frosty to teach him how. Due to the nature of the Mavericks, Jay has 12 weeks to prepare for what may end up killing him.
This film is based on the true story of professional surfer Jay Moriarty (who died in a freediving accident in 2001), although like most films that are purportedly based on truth, what did or did not actually happen may or may not have happened in the film. Doesn't matter. This isn't a documentary. What is on-screen works. It's compelling and it kept me engaged.
The best performance goes to Gerard Butler. It takes a skilled actor to make a character who is essentially a jerk for half the movie into someone we like and understand. The script, by Kario Salem (based on a story by Jim Meenaghan and Brandon Hopper) uses surprisingly little melodramatic cliches to accomplish this. We don't know much about Frosty's backstory. Instead, Salem's script (plus Butler's talent) allow him to develop the character into a three-dimensional human being based on who he is, not what sort of traumas happened to him in the past. Less impressive is Jonny Weston. Apparently, there was an international search to find a lead actor to play Jay. They should have looked harder. Weston is stiff like no other...he's only marginally better than Taylor Lautner. Rarely is he ever convincing. This film could have easily been on my Top Ten list this year had a better actor been cast in the role. He fades into the background against everyone else on screen.
The film shares two directors (Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted...both respected and talented filmmakers), although they didn't work together. Hanson was the original director, although he had to drop out with three weeks of filming left due to health reasons. The good news is that one wouldn't realize this change without being told. There's no alarming change in tone or style; everything flows naturally as it were made by one filmmaker. It's a little long, maybe, but it kept my attention and I didn't check my watch. There are also a few minor subplots that are left hanging, but they are effective enough. Surf nuts and sports movie lovers would do well to check this one out.
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