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"True
'Blue'"
by Scott Mantz
"Blue Crush"
Kate Bosworth,
Michelle Rodriguez
Directed by John Stockwell
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| Girls
on the beach! Michelle Rodriguez, Kate Bosworth and Sanoe Lake
catch a wave in "Blue Crush" |
Surf's up, fellow
moviegoers, and it's about time! Labor Day may be right around the
corner, but the ultimate summer movie is finally here. Slick, stylish
and very exciting, "Blue Crush" is sure to do for surfing
what last year's surprise hit "The Fast and the Furious"
did for drag racing.
On the north
shores of Hawaii, it's a genuine fact that the surfers rule. Anne
Marie (Kate Bosworth) was one of those surfers, until a freak accident
nearly wiped her out. Now she balances her time between training
for the Pipe Masters surf competition, taking care of her little
sister (Mika Boorem) and working as a hotel maid with her best friends,
Eden (Michelle Rodriguez) and Leda (Sanoe Lake). Anne Marie struggles
to overcome her fears in time to make the competition, but when
her focus is sidetracked by a charming NFL quarterback (Matthew
Davis), her dreams of hangin' ten once again may be grounded for
good.
"Blue Crush"
may be conveniently packaged, incredibly predictable and about 15
minutes longer than it needs to be, but so what? There's not much
at stake here except having a good time, and besides, it's hard
to criticize a film where the beach bunnies are barely dressed for
98 percent of the time. And of course, the surfing scenes are incredibly
breathtaking and rival some of the more modern surf flicks like
"Point Break" and "In God's Hands."
The girls of
"Blue Crush" could easily outsurf Gidget any day, and
in an early scene that echoes the classic 60's surf movie "Endless
Summer," they stand poised with their backs to the camera while
facing down the ominous waves of Mother Nature. It's a defining
moment of female empowerment, and not even their hardbodied male
counterparts can take that away from them.
The movie works
best when it focuses on the surf and not the turf, but Kate Bosworth
still shows a lot of promise as an immensely appealing lead. Michelle
Rodriguez adds yet another tough role to her similar body of work
from "Girlfight" and "The Fast and the Furious,"
while "Legally Blonde's" Matthew Davis is likable enough
as Bosworth's love interest.
Like I said,
the summer may be almost over, but if "Blue Crush" doesn't
keep you in the moment and make you want to sign up for surfing
lessons right away, then nothing will. So, catch this cinematic
wave while you can, and--to quote the Beach Boys--"you'll be
sitting on top of the world."
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