Blue Crush
Blue Crush is a 2002 movie about a group of female
surfers in
Hawaii. The film was directed by
John Stockwell and stars
Kate Bosworth,
Michelle Rodriguez and
Sanoe Lake. It is based on the 1998
Women Outside article "Life's Swell" by
Susan Orlean.
|
Kate Bosworth in Blue Crush |
Anne Marie Chadwick (
Kate Bosworth), Eden (
Michelle Rodriguez), and Lena (
Sanoe Lake) are best friends. Anne Marie is raising her 14-year-old sister, Penny (
Mika Boorem), working with Eden and Lena as a maid at a large resort hotel, and pursuing a professional surfing career. She was once considered a rising star in women's surfing and competed in her youth. A near-drowning incident temporarily halted her career and left her with deep-seated fears, but her friends encouraged her to continue training. Eden especially pushed Anne Marie to get back into the sport, often reminding her that quitting would make her like her absentee mother.
The movie begins with a training montage. Anne Marie has entered an upcoming surfing competition at famed North Shore surf spot, Pipeline. She hopes to gain the attention of the sponsors who will be there. As the days until Pipe go by, Anne Marie struggles to keep Penny under control and deal with her own trauma. She meets Matt Tollman (
Matthew Davis) at the hotel; Matt is a young quarterback vacationing with several of his teammates. She connects with him while teaching him to surf, though her acceptance of a non-local causes friction between her and many of the young men in her social circle.
On the day of Pipeline, Anne Marie wipes out during her first heat. She is shaken, but Matt tells her about his first game as a quarterback to inspire her confidence. Unfortunately, he reveals that he lost the game. The point of the story is that he had to go back out onto the field despite his insecurities. Determined, but still afraid, Anne Marie returns to the water. Competing in the same heat is
Keala Kennelly, playing herself. Keala pushes Anne Marie to take a good wave, and Anne Marie manages to score perfectly. Her overall score is not good enough for her to advance, but she has attracted the notice of the sponsors. When she returns to shore, she is greeted by her friends, her sister, Matt, and a representative of
Billabong.
While the actresses in the movie learned to surf, the more difficult surfing scenes were mostly performed by local women surfers, including some of the ones written about in the original article. The faces of the actresses were digitally superimposed on the actress afterward.
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Tagline: If you want to feel the rush you have to take the risk.*Sanoe Lake is a professional surfer sponsored by Billabong, among others.
*Michelle Rodriguez did all her own jetski stunts.
*
"Life's Swell" by Susan Orlean the article the film is based on
