Chasing Mavericks

Like waves beating on a shore, the guff just keeps on coming.

The script's a drowner, the acting's awash. Again and again Butler returns to the sea. He just about survives the buffeting.

[A] neap tide of mush.

Writer/director team Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted deliver a surprisingly tepid tale that becomes cheesier and cheesier the closer it gets to its predictable payoff.

Floating atop the explosive breakers, like an overabundance of phytoplankton, is a roiling colony of clichs that stops at nothing to dominate the screenplay.

Not only beautiful to watch, but also occasionally inspirational.

The surf footage is astounding, especially at the climax of the story's quest. But the story itself lacks juice. The movie seems designed purely as an inspirational monument to its young hero, and it comes across as hagiography.

Riding 30-foot waves is testing your luck, regardless of your skill level. But watching the skillful manipulate the swells and currents is awe-inspiring. Chasing Mavericks is a beautiful picture about dedication in all aspects of life.

This gentle father-son(ish) tale about an expert surfer and his teen apprentice is a rare 'family' movie that isn't preachy or insipid.