By John Stockwell, 2002.
Starring Mika Boorem, Kate Bosworth, Matthew Davis, Sanoe Lake, Michelle Rodriguez.
Rating: 8/10, 4/10.
I mean, it’s a sports underdog movie. How much do you expect?
Actually, Blue Crush might be the best of the genre I’ve ever seen. That’s not saying too much, but it is saying something. I actually liked all of the characters, even when they were behaving in ways that human beings do not behave, which is very unusual (the me liking, not the behavior) in this kind of movie. The actors were all likeable—although Matthew Davis as the boyfriend was giving me difficulties, since the only other movie I’ve seen him in was Legally Blonde, as the sleazy Warner.
Setting out to write this review, I first thought I would do that thing I ever so rarely do anymore and summarize the plot. But you know it already. You’ve seen it before, in The Mighty Ducks, or the Replacements, or The Bad News Bears, or any number of sports movies. I mean, this isn’t a comedy like the ones I named, but still. Hell, it’s even been done with surfing—like in Back To The Beach, although admittedly that movie was an entirely different matter.
Actually, though you do know the plot of the movie, the ending is still mildly surprising. It’s not like our heroine loses the competition or anything, but...well, you’ll see.