BLUE CRUSH (John Stockwell, 2002) R

Reviewed: August 24, 2002

Kate Bosworth's a fabulous actress, and at 19 (with only a handful of titles to her credit) already an honest-to-God starlet in the making. One of the defining aspects of being a movie star is a capability of selling any line of dialogue, no matter how tenuous, and Bosworth's got that skill down pat. She also has the charisma and the wattage of a born movie star; whenever she's on screen, she commands you not to look anywhere else (and no, not just because of her startling beauty). Her characterization of Anne Marie -- an expert surfer/surrogate parent grappling with her future -- is so vivid I could practically taste the salt on her body.

I enjoyed the hell outta Blue Crush, a teen surfer-chick, eye candy, popcorn fest that is considerably smarter than it might seem. The director John Stockwell also made last year's under-appreciated crazy/beautiful, another "teen" movie that betrays the conventions of its genre (meaning instead of being a sack of shit, it's actually textured and honest). Stockwell really needs to clone himself, since for my money he's the only one making "teen" movies worth watching right now (I use quotation marks because I'm thinking of the genre in the John Hughes, staying within the boundaries of conventional Hollywood entertainment sense; for instance, last year's brutal Bully and phenomenal Ghost World don't really count as entries).

Stockwell's success can be reduced to a few crucial ingredients:

(1) Both crazy/beautiful and Blue Crush's characters speak like real-life people talk. I was consistently impressed by the verisimilitude of Blue Crush's dialogue exchanges, even if the movie does falter on rare occasion (such as the unfortunate necessity of using freakin' instead of fucking in an effort to garner a PG-13 rating).

(2) Both crazy/beautiful and Blue Crush focus on potentially doomed romances, treating them with dabs of intelligence and wit, rather than oversimplifying or pandering. In Blue Crush, Bosworth and her romantic interest (a football player played by Matthew Davis) have a dramatic, near final confrontation that the movie wisely doesn't resolve.

(3) Both crazy/beautiful and Blue Crush's female protagonists' struggles don't feel maudlin. They feel real, because both females are strong and empowered, even if they're confused and aren't always in control.

(4) Both crazy/beautiful and Blue Crush are generally shot without affectation; Stockwell wisely favors longish takes (well, longer than most big studio films), handheld camerawork, a bluish tint and a over-washing vibe of dusk (Blue Crush was filmed entirely on location in Hawaii). That said, one huge caveat: For a reason totally incomprehensible to me, Stockwell makes continual use of sped-up motion in Blue Crush. The frame rate tinkering is excessive, distracting, pointless, obnoxious and deplorable. I hope he comes to his senses next time around and never ever implements this technique again.

As a testament to Blue Crush's quality, I offer that the (mostly) well photographed, exciting surfing sequences were my least favorite in the film. Surfing has a majestic beauty that is unrivaled by any other sport, but I loved Bosworth's character, loved hearing her talk, question, joke and in the water all she can do is look tough and pretty and graceful on a surf board.

(Note: To all the critics who are claiming Blue Crush's water footage is the best ever captured, I must ask-- have you even seen Big Wednesday?)

Blue Crush won't give you a deeper insight into the human condition. You'll know most of the story beats before they unfold and it will not surprise you that the ending details a crucial surfing competition. But I couldn't care less. I had a blast. Blue Crush is the ideal summer flick: light, delicious, unapologetic fun that doesn't insult your intelligence.

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