Chasing Mavericks

“We all come from the sea, but we are not all of the sea,” intones Gerard Butler, introducing the tragic true story of Jay Moriarity, an intrepid surfer who survived a 1994 wipeout that landed him on the cover of Surfer magazine, only to die in 2001 in a free-diving accident in the Maldives, one day before his 23rd birthday. The blustery Butler plays rugged California surfing daredevil Rick “Frosty” Hesson, who reluctantly agrees to train and mentor (in only 12 weeks) his determined, wave-riding 15-year-old Santa Cruz neighbor, Moriarity (newcomer Jonny Weston), to ride some of the most gigantic waves on Earth: the monster, mythic Mavericks at Half Moon Bay during El Niño. Filmmaker Michael Apted, who took over from director Curtis Hanson when the latter fell ill during shooting, utilizes the ample skills of cinematographer Bill Pope—as well as a group of fearless stunt doubles—to capture spectacular open-ocean footage, but no one can rise above the generic, formulaic script: an overly-reverential treatment that touches on but never delves into perseverant Moriarity's relationships with an absentee father, perpetually stressed-out/alcoholic single mom (Elisabeth Shue), best buddy (Devin Crittenden), attractive fiancée/wife (Leven Rambin), and wealthy bully/drug dealer (Taylor Handley). Bland and uninspiring, this is an optional purchase, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by director Michael Apted, writer Brandon Hooper, and producer Jim Meenaghan), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Live Like Jay” on the real Jay Moriarity (11 min.) and “Surfer Zen” (10 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Surf City” location featurette (11 min.), a “Shooting Waves” production segment (11 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an unremarkable film.] (S. Granger)