Wax On, Wax Off
Jay Moriarity came to the attention of surfing legend Frosty when he pulled the kid out of the water after trying to save a girl friends dog. Seeing Frosty surf leads to Jay taking up the support and becoming great at the showboating side. But when Jay follows Frosty one day he discovers the myth of the Mavericks surf break is real and is just down the coast from him. Convincing Frosty to teach him Jay becomes obsessed with being ready to tackle the giant waves, bonding with Frosty as he becomes a father figure to the teenager. But the friendship goes both ways as Frosty learns just as much about life from Jay.
I am trying to put myself in the shoes of someone who surfs, who follows the sport and the great surfers and thinking how would this movie come across to them. And to be honest I am not sure whether it would entertain that much because "Chasing Mavericks" whilst technically a biography has a crowd pleasing side, a mainstream feel so that the masses will enjoy it and for it to turn a decent profit. Yes there are some nice surfing shots built in to the movie but it isn't a great look at the life of surfers.
What that means is that "Chasing Mavericks" has an almost "Karate Kid" feel about it as we have Frosty teaching young Jay all about the secrets of surfing, teaching him to train in some unorthodox ways. We also have some obligatory teen drama as we have the girl Jay loves and of course some bullies to deal with. It is all extremely typical and to be honest entertaining with an appealing cast but it doesn't feel than much of a biography but more of an inspirational tale of a young man who had a goal and worked hard to achieve it whilst being good to those around him.
What this all boils down to is that if you want to a watch a movie which will inspire you, throw some inspirational quotes at you and some good looking actors playing character working hard to succeed then "Chasing Mavericks" is for you. But if you expect to watch a more detailed biography of surfer Jay Moriarity I have a feeling the formula driven nature of "Chasing Mavericks" may disappoint.
