Chasing Mavericks (2013)
Certified: PG
Duration: 116 minutes
Directed by: Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted
Starring: Jonny Weston, Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, Leven Rambin, Taylor Handley, Scott Eastwood, Peter Mel
KRS release

Chasing Mavericks tells the true story of teenager Jay Moriarty (Jonny Weston) and the relationships he forges. It is also all about the sport of surfing.

Jay lives in Santa Cruz with his mother Kristy (Elisabeth Shue). He is in awe of the ocean and has some surfing prowess.

He has problems because his friend Kim (Leven Rambin), who is older than him, is now not taking any notice of him. Meanwhile, he has also become the target of Sonny (Taylor Handley), a well-known bully.

Jay wants to be a better surfer and he believes that his neighbour can help. Frosty (Gerard Butler) works in construction, is married and has two kids but is also an avid surfer who, along with his pals, surfs at a hidden place called The Mavericks. The name is due to the gigantic waves found there.

Frosty is not in the mood to play teacher as he does not believe Jay has what it takes. Slowly he starts to change his mind and the two form a relationship that will see Jay tested to the limit when it comes to both surfing and life.

There are two main reasons to see Chasing Mavericks: one is the bio-graphical approach that is taken by the production that, even though sugar-coated, delivers the feel of the life of its young protagonist. Second is the footage of the waves and the ocean, which is crystalline clear and very evocative.

The film’s structure is essentially formulaic for many melodramatic movies but, due to this, Chasing Mavericks ends up winning one’s attention. The feeling of brotherhood between surfers and being one with the ocean permeates the screen in a very effect-ive manner.

Chasing Mavericks has more substance to it than your average teenage movie. Moreover, the fact that this is a true life story adds to the reasons why this grabs one’s attention.

The film focuses on Jay’s coming of age both as a person and as a surfer, with both paths firmly entwined. In Frosty, Jay will find not the father that is missing from his life but a brother. This sort of brotherhood is well captured in the movie, with Butler and Weston combining well in this area.

In fact this line of the story emerges as more engaging and true than the trials and tribulations of Jay outside the surfing world. Butler delivers a character that is well rounded but one who is addicted to the waves, with riding them being the reason for living.

Chasing Mavericks is directed by experienced directors Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, but this is not so much a co-directorial effort. Hanson got sick and his work had to be continued by Apted.

In the end they give the film its feel for the way it looks and its vivid textures. These are most evident when the camera goes to the water and brings into the cinema one giant wave after another.

The love and respect for the subject matter is very much in evidence on screen. This is amplified by the cinematography of Oliver Euclid and Bill Pope, whose work is bewitching and alluring. They manage to capture not just the allure of the ocean but also different facets to it, elevating it to the status of almost another character in the movie.

Chasing Mavericks is all about the water and the need and feel of its protagonists to ride the waves. It is in this feeling that the film exhilarates both itself and the audience.

Jay emerges as being quite a character, and by the end of the movie you will feel that you have known him for years. The film has a feel of good quality to it that is palpable and very tangible.