Susan Granger's review of "Blue Crush" (Universal Pictures)
Sometimes it's difficult to be totally objective, so I'll confess that growing up in Southern California, I always wanted to be a surfer babe. I'd get up early to catch the waves before school and return again in the afternoon. Which is why I enjoyed this water world sports drama far more than formulaic material warranted. Set in Hawaii, the story revolves around a blonde jock (Kate Bosworth) who lives with her rebellious younger sister (Mika Boorem) and two surfing pals (Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake) in a ramshackle beach house. She's qualified for the Pipe Masters competition on the treacherous North Shore of Oahu but she's psych'd herself out because of a previous near-fatal wipeout. Just a week before the competition, she meets a visiting NFL quarterback (Matthew Davis) who wants surfing lessons - before they tumble between the sheets. But this tepid romantic distraction is secondary to the adrenaline rush of the spectacularly exciting but dangerous water action. Cinematographer David Hennings and his intrepid crew capture the awesome enormity of the 30' high waves, using a gyrocam, or underwater camera, for a surfer's-eye-view inside the ferociously frightening funnels. Writer/director John Stockwell and writer Lizzy Weiss, inspired by Susan Orlean's "Surf Girls of Maui," explore the curious surfing subculture and create a rockin' momentum with Bob Marley's "And Be Loved," Blestenation's hip-hop remix of Bananarama's "Cruel Summer," etc. While Bosworth and Rodriguez are superb athletes, A-list surfers Rochelle Ballard, Megan Abubo, Keala Kennelly, Layne Beachley and Kate Skarratt did the difficult stunts. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Blue Crush" is an empowering, exhilarating, end-of-summer 7. This is surfing like you've never seen before!
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