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The timing was perfect. Someone, somewhere, decided that the release of the surfer-girl flick Blue Crush should coincide with my move from dismal New York to sunny Los Angeles. I figured if anything would inspire me to embrace my new West Coast lifestyle, it would be Blue Crush.
The plot of the movie isn't that different from many other sports themed movies: the big game/race/contest is coming up and our hero must confront his/her fear of losing/failure/death to win, and win big. Blue Crush follows the story of Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth), who was a champion junior surfer until she dropped out of competition after an accident. She's set to surf in the Pipeline Masters, and is in training with the help of her friends, Eden, played by the best tough-chick actress around, Michelle Rodriguez, and Lena, played by real-life surfer Sanoe Lake. In addition to training, Anne Marie has to look after her younger sister and deal with the attentions of an NFL quarterback, all of which she does without misplacing any of her perfect fake eyelashes. Sprinkled in between all the surfing and soul searching is some comic relief provided by actor Faizon Love, as another football player. There are many cameos by prominent women surfers, and some serious surfing, none of which, according to the website, was faked with blue screens or tanks. The sappy romantic speeches are kept to a minimum, and most of the characters break out of their stereotypes at least once. Some people may tell you that the best parts of the movie were the amazing shots of the surfing. Others may prefer the story's poignant message. But the highlight for me, as it is with many things, was... Brian Keaulana. Some of you may remember Brian from his recurring role on Baywatch Hawaii. Brian Keaulana is apparently the best lifeguard and surfer... ever. His role in Blue Crush was very small, but I still picked him out. His job was to patrol the surf during the big contest, and he ended up having to rescue three people. He was, as usual in perfect form. I thought that Blue Crush would inspire me to rush out and sign up for surf lessons. But it looks really, really hard to be a surfer girl. Watching this movie made me feel like I have water in my ears and sunburn on my nose, but without the chin-ups and pre-dawn runs on the beach required to be a champion. And besides, who needs lessons to look like a pro surfer? They're auctioning off movie props and costumes on the Blue Crush website!
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