3.5 stars. Rating: PG, for mild dramatic intensity
By Derrick Bang
Chasing Mavericks, a sweet, earnest little film
about following your passion, appears to have been dumped into theaters, with
little fanfare, by 20th Century Fox.
That’s a shame, because it
deserves better.
 |
| Jay Moriarity (Jonny Weston, right) wants only to surf, and he particularly wants to surf the giant waves that crash to shore in California's Half Moon Bay. To his frustration, mentor Frosty Hesson (Gerard Butler) insists that the teen first learn everything about the surrounding ocean currents, along with building up his endurance and breath control. Needless to say, 15-year-olds aren't big on patience! |
Surfing movies are pretty rare to
begin with; good ones are practically nonexistent. 1978’s Big Wednesday is one of the few to take the sport seriously; other
dramas slide into the melodramatic silliness of 1991’s Point Break or 2002’s Blue
Crush. For the most part, this sub-genre remains defined by documentaries
such as Bruce Brown’s iconic The Endless
Summer — despite dating back to 1966, still one of the best — and more
recent efforts such as 2003’s Step into
Liquid and 2004’s Riding Giants.
Even as a drama, Chasing Mavericks belongs in their
company: both for its sensational cinematography and exquisite ocean footage,
and for the respectful manner in which it depicts the life of legendary surfer
Jay Moriarity, made famous by his iconic photo on the cover of the May 1995
issue of Surfer magazine.
Northern Californians will
particularly love this film, since it takes place in Santa Cruz and nearby Half
Moon Bay. Kario Salem’s screenplay — adapted from a story by Jim Meenaghan and
Brandon Hooper — takes the usual Hollywood liberties with some elements of
Moriarity’s life, but the essential elements feel authentic: most particularly
the student/mentor relationship between Moriarity and veteran coach/surfer
Frosty Hesson.
A lengthy prologue establishes
Jay as a plucky kid (Cooper Timberline) who learns to gauge wave size by timing
the seconds between swells, a skill that can’t help impressing Hesson (Gerard
Butler), who happens to live in the beachside house just next door. Jay’s home
life is scattered, to say the least: His father abandoned the family; his
mother, Kristy (Elisabeth Shue), has just as much trouble holding onto a job,
as holding herself together.
Jay naturally gravitates toward
Frosty as a father figure, a dynamic noted with gentle amusement — and definite
approval — by Brenda Hesson (Abigail Spencer), absolutely the world’s most
patient, tolerant and understanding wife. Chasing
Mavericks is an unabashed valentine to several things — Moriarity, Hesson,
surfing in general — but perhaps
most to Brenda. Spencer plays her with almost angelic wisdom and devotion, yet
somehow manages to make this woman feel authentic: no small feat.
