Claim: Dennis Quaid was in a movie with Americans.

Soul Surfer is a 2011 American biographical drama film directed by Sean McNamara , based on the 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer : A True Story of Faith , Family , and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton about her life as a surfer after a horrific shark attack and her recovery . The film stars AnnaSophia Robb , Helen Hunt , Dennis Quaid , and Lorraine Nicholson with Carrie Underwood , Kevin Sorbo , Sonya Balmores , Branscombe Richmond , and Craig T. Nelson .   Filming took place in Hawaii in early 2010 , with additional filming taking place in Tahiti in August 2010 . Soul Surfer was released in theaters on , 2011 in the United States and Canada by a partnership between FilmDistrict and TriStar Pictures , and was a commercial success , earning $ 47,088,990 on a $ 18 million budget , but received mixed reviews from critical audiences .