We finally watched Blue Crush tonight on DVD, after letting it sit on the shelf for a few months now... I never saw the film in the theatre, but had heard nothing but good things about it both in the media and through people I know who had seen it. If you haven't seen it and don't want to know too much of the plot, then you might want to rent it or buy it before continuing. If you don't get bothered by some details about films before you see them, then read on. Comments are greatly appreciated.

The movie stars Kate Bosworth (Anne Marie Chadwick), Michelle Rodriguez (Eden), Sanoe Lake (Lena) and Mika Boorem (Penny Chadwick) as four Hawaii-living surfer girls who live in a house they rent together after the Chadwick girls' mother left for Las Vegas a few years earlier. Anne Marie, Eden, and Lena are all working as maids in a luxury hotel on the island to make ends meet, and spend their early mornings surfing. Penny Chadwick is approximately 14 (I believe that's what they say in the film) and Anne Marie is trying to balance being the "mother" the "family" thing going on with the group's almost religious surfing hobby. I think most of this situation is pretty believable, and the older girls seem to do a pretty good job in their roles. Penny seems like she's trying a little too hard sometimes to act like a little kid, but I think I might be jaded a little bit because I watched the deleted scenes which pronounce it even further.

As it turns out, some pro football players show up on vacation at the hotel, and Anne Marie and the girls have a little run in with them after they end up trying to clean up their hotel room. I mention "trying" because it's a disaster through and through, and Anne Marie's actions end up getting her fired, and cause her friends to quit - although temporarily. The girls end up giving the football players surfing lessons for $150 an hour, Anne Marie strikes up a relationship with the quarterback of the bunch, and begins shirking her practice sessions with Eden as the Pipe Masters tournament is approaching. As the movie plays on, you learn more and more about the flashbacks that Anne Marie keeps having. Turns out she was working her way through the ranks to becoming a competitive surfer when she had a bit of a crash and almost drowned. This incident, among other things alluded to, are what apparently led to the Chadwick mother to leave her daughters alone.

So after a tumultuous bit of love story, which leaves Anne Marie torn between her new boyfriend the quarterback, her love of surfing, and her family, she tries to make a decision on what she needs to do. While the rest of the film becomes somewhat predictable, it isn't cheesy or overdone. You actually like most of the characters, and they seem realistic. Throughout the movie there are all kinds of little subplots, with the local surfing guys not liking that Anne Marie took her man to a local hidden surf spot, and them closing in on him saying "We grew here, you flew here," before throwing a few punches. Overall, it was very enjoyable, and while it was definitely a happy ending-type movie, it was done very smartly. There's some great shots both underwater and on the waves throughout, and has probably inspired tons of little girls to take up the sport.

I give it two thumbs up for realistic plotlines, non pandering to the overdone happy ending type film genre, and some cool cinematography.