Wide World of Sports with dialogue

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2003)

No one was more surprised than me that I enjoyed Blue Crush. It is a by-the-numbers teen drama about three Hawaiian wahinis who have crappy day jobs to the pay the rent and support their surfing addiction. One of them, Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth) was a child champion of the sport, but stopped competing when she was almost killed when she lost control of her board and bashed her head on a rock. Now after a break of three years she's signed up to ride the big waves in the island's largest surfing competition. She's in training until she meets a young, rich football player who sweeps her off her feet. Story wise Blue Crush falls flat when it is on land, but the surfing scenes are spectacular. There are a few little twists that set this apart from the usual teen fare - the girls have decidedly unglamorous jobs as hotel maids, and live in a grotty little shack - but don't expect to be wowed by the plot. Think of it as The Wide World of Sports with dialogue.