Description:
Surfers are a very specific breed with an obsession that drives their thoughts constantly back to the sea. It's an obsession with waves, of course, and the will to seek those big, perfect curls that give them the high of their life riding just ahead of the breaking surf. For some, the more dangerous the better, which is kind of the point of Chasing Mavericks, a mostly absorbing, if sometimes formulaic and overly sentimental story based on the life of Santa Cruz surfer Jay Moriarity. As a 6-year-old, little Jay tumbles into the crashing breakers and is plucked to safety by his laconic neighbor, Frosty (a steely, taciturn Gerard B
Surfers are a very specific breed with an obsession that drives their thoughts constantly back to the sea. It's an obsession with waves, of course, and the will to seek those big, perfect curls that give them the high of their life riding just ahead of the breaking surf. For some, the more dangerous the better, which is kind of the point of Chasing Mavericks, a mostly absorbing, if sometimes formulaic and overly sentimental story based on the life of Santa Cruz surfer Jay Moriarity. As a 6-year-old, little Jay tumbles into the crashing breakers and is plucked to safety by his laconic neighbor, Frosty (a steely, taciturn Gerard Butler), who is a textbook surfing obsessive. Their relationship deepens into something like a father/son bond as Jay (Jonny Weston) grows into teenagehood and can't help but chase the same passion for waves that drives his reluctant mentor. Specifically it is a drive to conquer the "Mavericks," mythical monster breakers that appear only at a specific spot on the California coast near Big Sur, and only when storm systems and atmospheric conditions are exactly right. Not only are they big and beautiful, they're also seriously dangerous because of the rocky shore and the tidal strength that builds them. Frosty agrees to bring Jay into the tight-knit clan that knows about the Mavericks and has largely kept them a secret. The movie is primarily the story of the master/apprentice dynamic that develops with Jay and Frosty, fleshed out with some engaging subplots, including Jay's love of his childhood sweetheart, a bully nemesis, trouble with his best friend, and the responsibility he bears taking care of his depressed, alcoholic mother. On Frosty's home front, the drama of family life involves much ambivalence about his devoted wife and two young children versus the pull of his other, possibly more important love in life. The surfing scenes are genuinely spectacular and the plot arcs dovetail into an inspirational, heartfelt tale that only occasionally slips into cornball territory. The performances also fit the material, with Butler delivering an appropriately toned-down turn as a guy with lots of feeling who expends tremendous effort to not show any. Weston is an awestruck, gee-whiz straight arrow with feeling to spare, and the rest of the cast members complement the scenery and '90s-era production design without overdoing it. As this is a real-life dramatization, there's a fair amount of tragedy that goes with the joy and personal triumph. But Chasing Mavericks is never maudlin and it falls into a fine tradition of true-story sporting saga that is absorbing and entertaining without overdoing it on the pathos or homilies. --Ted Fry
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Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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