Calmin’ Surfin’ Fun
Main Cast: Robert “Wingnut” Weaver, Patrick O’Connell
Director: Bruce Brown
A mixture of pseudo-documentary and a motion-picture love letter to the sport of surfing, this relentlessly cheerful outing is the movie equivalent of a warm bath at the end of a long day.
The plot- if I can use the term- follows the adventures of Weaver and O’Connell, two happy-go-lucky surfers who decide to take a tour around the world, boards under arms, to find the “best” places to do the thing they do so well (and love above all). This is a remake (or re-journey) of Endless Summer, which had an identical plot with two other surfers back in the ’70s. Some of same people were found to appear in this remake.
Well, I hope I don’t spoil this for you, but they do indeed find many, many places to surf. There are no scary or alarming parts, although they do run into a topless beach in France and seem ill-equipped to deal with it (I guess a relentless quest for the killer wave is enough to drive all other thoughts away). They meet other interesting and fascinating people while on land, and the movie is good enough of a travelogue to give one a feel of the countries and places they visit.
But this is an ode to surfing, so most of the action takes place right offshore. Obviously there are just so many ways you can film a guy riding a surfboard in, on, and around a wave, and the director finds every one. I use the term “guy” in the generic sense, as women, boys, girls, and animals also make appearances. In any case, the filmography is wonderful, with crashing waves, long beaches, and sun and fun predominant.
This is so upbeat and harmless that I simply can’t bash it. It is what it is. If you are a surfing enthusiast, you’ve probably already seen this one. If not, do so. If you aren’t (like me), it’s still entertaining, in a sort of wistful “wish I could just do that for a living” kind of way.
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