Blue Crush

Blue Crush
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Stockwell
Produced by	Brian Grazer
Screenplay by	Lizzy Weiss John Stockwell
Story by	Lizzy Weiss
Starring	Kate Bosworth Michelle Rodriguez Matthew Davis Sanoe Lake Mika Boorem
Music by	Paul Haslinger
Cinematography	David Hennings
Editing by	Emma E. Hickox
Studio	Imagine Entertainment
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	August 16, 2002
Running time	104 min.
Country	United States, Germany
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$51,599,647

Blue Crush is a 2002 surfer film directed by John Stockwell and based on the Outside magazine article "Life's Swell" by Susan Orlean.^[1] Starring Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake, and Mika Boorem, it tells the story of three friends who have one passion: living the ultimate dream of surfing on Hawaii's famed North Shore.

Plot

Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth), Eden (Michelle Rodriguez), and Lena (Sanoe Lake) are best friends. Anne Marie and her friends have been raising her 14-year-old sister, Penny (Mika Boorem), ever since their mother took off to Las Vegas with a boyfriend, who was uncomfortable with the idea of having the two girls come along. While Penny is at school, Anne Marie, Eden, and Lena work as maids at a large resort hotel, but more importantly, they are surfers. Anne Marie rises every morning before dawn to train for her surfing comeback. She was once considered a rising star in women's surfing and competed as a youth, but an extreme wipeout and near-drowning incident temporarily halted her career and left her with deep-seated fears. Her friends, especially Eden, have encouraged her to try it again.

Anne Marie has been invited to join in an upcoming surf competition at the famed North Shore surf spot, Pipeline. She hopes to gain the attention of sponsors and get herself and her friends out of the near-poverty they are living in. As the Pipeline competition gets closer, Anne Marie struggles to keep Penny under control and deal with her own personal issues.

At work, Anne Marie meets and catches the eye of Matt Tollman (Matthew Davis), a National Football League quarterback in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl (it is hinted that he plays for the Minnesota Vikings). Matt is there with several of his rowdy teammates and instantly becomes attracted to the surfer. Through a series of "chance" encounters, she agrees to teach him how to surf, bringing Lena, Eden, and Penny along for the ride. Her acceptance of a non-local begins to cause friction between her and many of the young men in her surfing social circle. Anne Marie faces more problems when she and Eden argue about Anne Marie's lack of dedication to training for the Pipeline contest due to the sudden appearance of Matt. She also has to hear demeaning comments from several of the other football players' wives and girlfriends staying at the hotel about how she is undergoing the "Matt Tollman makeover" while attending a luau at the resort.

Anne Marie confronts Matt about their situation, and soon resolves to step up her game as she finally commits herself to the Pipeline Masters. On the day of Pipeline, Anne Marie wipes out during her first heat, but advances to the next heat after narrowly beating pro surfer Kate Skarratt. She is shaken, but Matt tells her a story about his first game as a quarterback and helps her regain her wavering confidence. Determined, but still afraid, Anne Marie returns to the water. Competing in the same heat is Keala Kennelly, one of the first professional female surfers, playing herself. While Keala surfs the first few sets of waves without wipe-outs, Anne Marie still has inhibitions about riding one, visions of another near-drowning incident holding her back. Keala finishes her turn, then paddles out and takes Anne Marie under her wing and encourages her to take the best wave of the day, on which Anne Marie manages to score perfectly. Although she does not advance to the next heat, she has regained her lost confidence, but more importantly, attracted the notice of sponsors, one of which includes an offer to join the Billabong women's surf team.

Cast

• Kate Bosworth as Anne Marie Chadwick
• Matthew Davis as Matt Tollman
• Michelle Rodriguez as Eden
• Sanoe Lake as Lena
• Mika Boorem as Penny Chadwick
• Faizon Love as Leslie

Appearances from real-life surfers

• Keala Kennelly
• Carol Anne Philips
• Rochelle Ballard
• Layne Beachley
• Megan Abubo
• Brian Keaulana
• Tom Carroll
• Jamie O'Brien
• Bruce Irons
• Makua Rothman

Influence

Although Blue Crush depicts a women's heat in the Pipeline Competition, this did not exist at the time of the film's release. Despite Title IX, there was no place for female surfers to compete. It was not until March 2005 that there was a women's competition at the Banzai Pipeline.^{[2] [3]}

Soundtrack

1. "If I Could Fall In Love" (4:23) – Lenny Kravitz
2. "Rock Star" (Jason Nevins Remix Edit) (3:50) – N.E.R.D
3. "Party Hard" (4:00) – Beenie Man
4. "Cruel Summer (Blestenation Mix)" (5:13) – Blestenation
5. "Big Love" (3:48) – Chicken Josh Debear (rap/vocals)
6. "Daybreaker" (3:54) – Beth Orton
7. "Everybody Got Their Something" (4:22) – Nikka Costa
8. "Front To Back (Fatboy Slim Remix)" (3:53) – Playgroup
9. "And Be Loved" (3:02) – Damian Marley
10. "Destiny" (5:40) – Zero 7
11. "Firesuite" (4:37) – Doves
12. "Youth of the Nation" – P.O.D.
13. "Alive" – P.O.D.

Box office

The film opened on 3,002 screens in the United States on August 18, 2002. It grossed $14.2 million and placed 3rd that opening weekend. It went on to gross $40.4 million in the U.S., and a total of $51.6 million worldwide. The film's estimated budget was $30 million.^[4] The film received mixed to positive reviews.

Blue Crush was the first film to use Hawaii’s Act 221, a progressive local tax incentive that called for a 100 percent state tax credit for high-tech investments meeting the requirements for qualified high-tech business, while also allowing local investors to receive tax credits for investments in film or television productions.^[5][6] Universal Studios used the legislation for the Blue Crush production, receiving approximately $16 million in a deal with local investors who, in exchange, received the film's high-tech tax credits. The agreement also involved marketing rights for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau whereby the studio would cross-promote the film and the State of Hawaii. Entertainment executive April Masini, who helped produce Baywatch Hawaii, Pacific Blue, and the Miss Universe Pageant, brought the tax incentives to the attention of Universal Studios,^[7] and along with producer Adam Fields advised the state in its negotiation.^[5]

See also

• Blue Crush 2, the unrelated direct-to-video sequel
• Ride the Wild Surf, a 1964 film about three men visiting Hawaii to surf

References

External links

• Official website
• Blue Crush at the Internet Movie Database
• Blue Crush at allmovie
• Blue Crush at Rotten Tomatoes
• Blue Crush at Box Office Mojo