At last, someone has found a good use for all the Ace of Base cd's lining the racks of used cd stores across the nation. They, much like the surfing genre, long ago overstayed their welcome, and were relegated to the land of the drink coaster years ago. Now, Blue Crush promises a renaissance for surfing, Swedish pop music, and bikini babes in general.
Ann Marie is a surfer babe with talent, an inch away from going pro. But her life is far from perfect, and doubts about herself plague her, threatening to destroy her surfing career on the eve of her greatest opportunity. Abandoned by her mother, she lives a poverty stricken existence in a small beachside shack with her two best friends and her young sister. As there is in just about every movie these days, there's a love story thrown into the mix, and as usual it's wholly improbable. An NFL Quarterback on vacation sweeps young Ann Marie off her feet, adding more distraction to her dreams of surfing domination, and building a better life for herself and her little sis.
There are a lot of things to hate about about Blue Crush. The dialogue is weak and at times non-existent. The love story is hokey and fairly laughable. The film tends to raise important personal issues, like the degrading relationship between Ann Marie and her 14-year-old sister... only to abandon them without resolution in favor of more surfing. Yeah, all the cliché’s are there like the good old "angry local boys attack stupid tourists" bit. Sure, the entire film is probably really just a blatant excuse to squeeze hot chicks into as little clothing as possible. No denying any of it.
In spite of all of this, Blue Crush is a supreme bit of fun and one of the most BEAUTIFULLY filmed surfing movies ever created. The water is crystal clear; the surfing is intense and beautiful. The women are graceful and gorgeous leaping across, in, and on gigantic waves in the perfect Hawaiian sun. What's more, you care. Somehow, despite its glaring inadequacies, Blue Crush makes you really care about the two-dimensional, cliché characters that have been plugged into it's funky surf babe beat. When the movie is over, you won't leave thinking about the stilted dialogue or the abrupt, all to easy ending. Rather, you'll walk out cheering for Ann Marie. You'll leave energized, refreshed, and probably with a strong desire to take up surfing. If that isn't a good reason to see any movie, then I don't know what is.
Three cheers all around for a delightful cast of beautiful women who somehow managed to dredge such life out of what could have been such utter dreck. Michelle Rodriguez in particular is engaging, in yet another of the "tough girl" roles she seems permanently destined to play. Kate Bosworth is impossible to take your eyes off of, and it isn't just because of the perfectly tanned bod she has on display. Even the fat football players cavorting about on the beach in coconut bikini's make a nice impression in their limited roles... a contrast to their headlining co-star who plays Bosworth's NFL Quarterback hottie. Mr. Perfect is clearly just for show.
Blue Crush is every bit as shallow as you'd expect, but ten times more fun than it deserves to be. Like other "girl takes charge" movies released this year, Crush is the ultimate combination of girl-power estrogen and hot sun hot-dogging, drop dead beautiful movie magic. Much like the surfers that inhabit this world, this is a movie that is truly passionate about what it's doing. If I have to wade through shot after shot of bikini clad beach bunnies to glean that kind of enjoyment from the cinema, then so be it.
