Barnes & Noble

Gidget meets Rocky in this breezy tale of female surfers that goes beyond babes-in-bikinis exploitation. Nubile newcomer Kate Bosworth stars as Ann-Marie, a big-wave surfer on the North Shore of Oahu whose drive to make a comeback after nearly drowning in a surfing competition is complicated by her romance with a handsome football player. Thankfully, the script, which is based on a New Yorker article, delves beneath the travel brochure image of Hawaii to show us the other side of paradise. Ann-Marie and her surfer buddies (Sanoe Lake and Girlfight’s Michelle Rodriguez) work as maids at a posh resort and share a beach shack with Anne-Marie’s wayward young sister and charge (Mika Boorem). With no college or career prospects on the horizon, winning a surf contest and joining a pro tour means financial security, as well as glory, for these girls. Bosworth, a fresh-faced blonde with a megawatt smile, isn’t as believable playing a tough surfer chick as are Rodriguez and Lake. But director John Stockwell (crazy/beautiful) elicits a surprisingly solid, sympathetic performance from her as Ann-Marie struggles between her need to prove herself and her desire to take the easy way out. The other actresses are fine, too, and the banter between the three feels natural and convincing. Best of all, the surfing footage, with its thrilling, digitally enhanced shots of monster waves and bone-crushing wipeouts, offers a pure visceral rush. Great to look at and a lot of fun, Blue Crush serves up its message of female empowerment with a splash. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide

Move over, Gidget -- a new breed of female surfers with style, guts and attitude hit the screen in this feature, which combines romance with a sports drama. Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth) is a young woman living in Hawaii who has been surfing since she was a little girl, and over the past year has been training for the prestigious Pipe Masters surfing competition. But Anne Marie is still dealing with emotional baggage that's holding her back -- her mother abandoned her years ago, leaving her to raise her younger sister Penny (Mika Boorem) while having to guide herself through adolescence, and Anne Marie nearly drowned while trying to surf the famous Maui Pipeline three years ago, and has yet to shake the anxieties of this traumatic event. Anne Marie and Penny share a house with Anne Marie's friends Lena (Sanoe Lake) and Eden (Michelle Rodriguez), both fellow surf enthusiasts, and the three friends work as maids at a hotel, a job which offers them flexible hours for riding the waves. When a pro football team checks into the hotel, Anne Marie meets Matt (Matthew Davis), a promising quarterback who has his eye on her. Anne Marie is just as attracted to Matt as he is to her, but will Anne Marie have to choose between the man of her dreams and the recognition as a surfer she's worked for years to receive? Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sanoe Lake did all their own surfing in Blue Crush; Bosworth and Rodriguez went into training to learn the sport before shooting began, while Lake, a native Hawaiian, was already a confirmed surf enthusiast. Mark Deming

New York Times

It's hard to resist being swept up in Blue Crush, not least because David Hennings's shimmery photography carries the breeze and spray of the island right into the theater. A.O. Scott

Washington Post

A big, sexy, sun-splashed thrill ride. Ann Hornaday

Chicago Sun-Times

Looking at the posters for Blue Crush, which show Bosworth, Rodriguez and Lake posing with bikinis and surfboards, I expected another mindless surfing movie. Blue Crush is anything but. Roger Ebert Roger Ebert

Product Details

• UPC: 025192213229
• Source: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:45:00
• Sales Rank: 8,290

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Blue Crush/Honey/Josie and the Pussycats
• Blue Crush & North Shore

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