Themes: Surfing, Questioning Gender Roles, Class Differences
Main Cast: Kate Bosworth, Matthew Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake, Mika Boorem
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 104 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Move over, Gidget -- a new breed of female surfers with style, guts and attitude hit the screen in this feature, which combines romance with a sports drama. Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth) is a young woman living in Hawaii who has been surfing since she was a little girl, and over the past year has been training for the prestigious Pipe Masters surfing competition. But Anne Marie is still dealing with emotional baggage that's holding her back -- her mother abandoned her years ago, leaving her to raise her younger sister Penny (Mika Boorem) while having to guide herself through adolescence, and Anne Marie nearly drowned while trying to surf the famous Maui Pipeline three years ago, and has yet to shake the anxieties of this traumatic event. Anne Marie and Penny share a house with Anne Marie's friends Lena (Sanoe Lake) and Eden (Michelle Rodriguez), both fellow surf enthusiasts, and the three friends work as maids at a hotel, a job which offers them flexible hours for riding the waves. When a pro football team checks into the hotel, Anne Marie meets Matt (Matthew Davis), a promising quarterback who has his eye on her. Anne Marie is just as attracted to Matt as he is to her, but will Anne Marie have to choose between the man of her dreams and the recognition as a surfer she's worked for years to receive? Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sanoe Lake did all their own surfing in Blue Crush; Bosworth and Rodriguez went into training to learn the sport before shooting began, while Lake, a native Hawaiian, was already a confirmed surf enthusiast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Although its standard-issue plot and dialogue aren't in danger of winning any awards, it's hard not to root for this good-hearted, often thrilling surf flick. Blue Crush is so sure that girls rule that it doesn't waste much time establishing the fact, and its collection of burners and alterna-kids is so rough-edged and authentic that all thoughts of prefab John Hughes suburbia can easily be banished. Instead of faux high-school politics and strident feminism, the film focuses on spectacular footage of extreme surfing, with just enough working-class back story to lend the ESPN-isms dramatic heft. With a chip on her shoulder and some definition in her biceps, model-perfect Kate Bosworth is never less than adequate as pro hopeful Anne Marie, the focus of the story. That ethnically balanced sidekicks Michelle Rodriguez and Sanoe Lake would probably make more convincing star athletes is a minor quibble, easily chalked up to cold Hollywood reality. (Besides, it's more fun to watch Rodriguez generate Resident Evil-style lesbian subtext in her supporting role than it would be to see her sidle up to a quarterback beau in the lead.) It's a cliché to say so, but the real stars are the wave-riding action sequences, which seem more like an IMAX documentary than the payoff in a sports-themed romance. Director/screenwriter John Stockwell goes in for a few too many motivational clichés at the end, but once the digitally tweaked Bosworth is in the eye of a swell, Blue Crush is pure action, the script incidental. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
Denise Hudson - Art Director, Randi Hiller - Casting, Sarah Halley-Finn - Casting, Rick Dallago - Co-producer, Suzy Barbieri - Co-producer, Susan Matheson - Costume Designer, Mary Ellen Woods - First Assistant Director, John Stockwell - Director, Gregory J. Barnett - Second Unit Director, Emma E. Hickox - Editor, Kathy Jones - Executive Producer, Louis G. Friedman - Executive Producer, Paul Haslinger - Composer (Music Score), Dana Sano - Musical Direction/Supervision, David Hennings - Cinematographer, Brian Grazer - Producer, Karen Kehela - Producer, Mark Ulano - Sound/Sound Designer, Claude Letessier - Sound/Sound Designer, Gregory J. Barnett - Stunts Coordinator, Brian L. Keaulana - Stunts Coordinator, John Stockwell - Screenwriter, Jon Farhat - Visual Effects Supervisor, Kelly Cabral - Supervising Sound Editor, Hammerhead Productions - Visual Effects, Meg Everist - Set Decorator
Summer film soundtracks are fairly predictable, as one can expect to find several pop/rock icons or hip-hop superstars displaying their hit singles, albeit in remix format. Surprisingly, Blue Crush has a soundtrack propelled by lesser-known artists, which is relieving. Highlights include N.E.R.D.'s "Rock Star," which is given the remix treatment courtesy of Jason Nevins, and Beth Orton's dreamy "Daybreaker," which is simply scintillating. ~ Jason D. Taylor, All Music Guide
Lenny Kravitz (Arranger), Lenny Kravitz (Producer), KC Flightt (Vocals), Don Boyette (Bass), Mike Nielsen (Guitar), Sovory (Vocals), Justin Stanley (Producer), Josh Debear (Rap), The Chemical Brothers (Producer), The Chemical Brothers (Mixing), Beth Orton (Producer), Tommy Steele (Art Direction), Rob Walker (Executive Producer), Kathy Nelson (Executive in Charge of Music), Fatboy Slim (Executive Producer), Fatboy Slim (Remixing), Jason Nevins (Producer), Jason Nevins (Remixing), Jason Nevins (Remix Producer), Spymob (Instrumentation), Dana K. Sano (Producer), Demus (Mixing), Jean Krikorian (Art Direction), Jean Krikorian (Design), Ralph Churchwell (Guitar), Fred Eltringham (Drums), Brian Grazer (Executive Producer), Bob Vosgien (Mastering), Pharrell Williams (Producer), Pharrell Williams (Executive Producer), Angie Rubin (Music Editor), The Neptunes (Producer), The Neptunes (Executive Producer), Chad Hugo (Producer), Chad Hugo (Executive Producer), Nancie Stern (Sample Clearance), Trevor Jackson (Producer), Cynthia Sexton (Executive in Charge of Music), Zero 7 (Producer), Nikka Costa (Producer), Mark Ronson (Producer), Rob Christie (Mastering)
Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth), Eden (Michelle Rodriguez), and Lena (Sanoe Lake) are best friends. Anne Marie and her friends have been raising her 14-year-old sister, Penny (Mika Boorem), ever since their mother took off to Las Vegas with a boyfriend, who was not comfortable with the idea of bringing the two girls along. While Penny is at school, Anne Marie, Eden, and Lena work as maids at a large resort hotel, but more importantly, they are surfers. Anne Marie rises every morning before dawn to train for her surfing comeback. She was once considered a rising star in women's surfing and competed as a youth, but a near-drowning incident temporarily halted her career and left her with deep-seated fears. Her friends, especially Eden, have encouraged her to try it again.
Anne Marie has been invited to join in an upcoming surf competition at the famed North Shore surf spot, Pipeline. She hopes to gain the attention of sponsors and get herself and her friends out of the near-poverty they are living in. As Pipe gets closer, Anne Marie struggles to keep Penny under control and deal with her own personal issues.
At work, Anne Marie meets and catches the eye of Matt Holman (Matthew Davis), a National Football Leaguequarterback in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. Matt is there with several of his rowdy teammates and instantly becomes attracted to the surfer. Through a series of "chance" encounters, she agrees to teach him how to surf, bringing Lena, Eden, and Penny along for the ride. Her acceptance of a non-local begins to cause friction between her and many of the young men in her surfing social circle. Anne Marie faces more problems when she and Eden argue over an intense training session about Anne Marie's lack of dedication to the Pipeline contest due to the sudden appearance of Matt. She also has to hear vicious commentaries from several ladies staying at the hotel about Anne Marie undergoing the "Matt Holman makeover" while attending a luau at the resort.
Anne Marie confronts Matt about their situation, and soon resolves to step up to game as she finally commits herself to the Pipeline Masters. On the day of Pipeline, Anne Marie wipes out during her first heat, but advances to the next heat after narrowly beating pro surfer Kate Skarratt. She is shaken, but Matt tells her a story about his first game as a quarterback and helps her regain her wavering confidence. Determined, but still afraid, Anne Marie returns to the water. Competing in the same heat is Keala Kennelly, one of the first professional female surfers, playing herself. While Keala dares to surf the first few sets of waves without wipe-outs, Anne Marie still has inhibitions about riding one, visions of another near-drowning incident holding her back. Keala finishes her turn, she encourages Anne Marie to take a good wave, and Anne Marie manages to score perfectly. Although she does not advance to the next heat, she has regained her lost confidence, but more importantly, the notice of sponsors, one of which includes an offer to join the Billabong women's surf team.
The movie was shot primarily on the island of Oahu, including the North Shore, Mākaha, Waikīkī, and the JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina. The production depended heavily on local talent. Many of the characters in the film are portrayed by real surfers found on the North Shore. Ruben Tejada, who plays J.J., was found by director John Stockwell outside of a grocery store. He liked him so much that he cast him in the movie. The fresh talent lent some raw energy to the film and kept the action real. All the surfing takes place in the ocean; no green screens or tanks were used.
While the actresses did learn to surf, some of the more difficult surfing scenes were not only dangerous, but impossible for them to perform. Some of the world's top female surfers, including ones featured in the original magazine article, surfed the larger waves for the film. The actresses' faces were later digitally superimposed on the surfers. Michelle Rodriguez did all her own jet ski stunts, including towing Kate Bosworth's stunt double out to the biggest waves.
Actor/Pro Surf Instructor John Philbin was Bosworth's trainer for the film. Philbin starred in the film North Shore many years prior which was shot on the island of Oahu at the world famous North Shore.
Former surfing world champion Tom Carroll appears early in the film as a surfer with a cut eye. According to producer Brian Grazer, this is a real injury —Carroll had wiped out on the reef just seconds earlier— and it made the three cast members (Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sanoe Lake) nervous about going in the water.
The film opened on 3,002 screens in the United States on August 18, 2002. It grossed $14.2 million and placed 3rd that opening weekend. It went on to gross $40.4 million in the U.S., and a total of $51.6 million worldwide. The film's estimated budget was $30 million.
