180° South

I don't surf or climb, or know who founded various outdoor clothing and gear companies. I've never been out of the country or sailed an ocean. But I do know I enjoyed this film. I never once felt that the people in this movie were smug or talking down to me as one reviewer said. 180 Degrees South appealed to my sense of adventure; that tiny impulse in the back of my brain that sometimes interjects ideas like 'forget the daily grind, leave it all behind and go explore nature'. If more people just would listen and look at the world around them, appreciate the land we call home, do what you can to preserve a little bit of it.... the world would be a much better place.

Definitely worth watching!

Purely from a visual standpoint this Doc is inspiring and loaded with singer-songwriter tunes from artists such as M. Ward, Mason Jennings, and Ugly Casanova which compliment the imagery. This film is raw and if you are a fan of over-produced special effects such as the one star reviewer then don't watch it. 180 Degrees echos other films such as Shelter and Sprout in the sense of adventure, inspiration, and solitude. I have been surfing for 25 years and have recently taken up rock climbing thanks to this film, truly inspiring. I would recommend any film which involves the Malloy brothers. I have been watching the Malloy's since I was a kid and they have given so much to surfing and remain the greatest ambassadors to the sport.

I disagree with the previous review, this is a movie is worth seeing and has a great message. And I do not think the makers of the movie would be at all surprised that people would try to make fun of it - the Easter Islanders would have been the same way back in their day.

The movie follows one man as he seeks to meet up with the founders of Patagonia and North Face ("self important" fellas, right) in the southern part of South America. A few monkey wrenches get thrown into his plan and things change. Beautiful images - open country, sailing, surfing, climbing.

Is Chouinard a bit grumpy? of course he is, and has been for a while. In his lifetime he has seen the earth decline greatly in the name of progress. Ironically, as we "progress" our level of contentment declines. He seems to believe that we can progress without destroying our planet. Hopefully more people will consider his point of view.

This is the type of film that makes you want to get out and explore the world around us. I admire Jeff Johnson's spirit and dedication to his childhood dreams. This movie makes me wonder what our world might be like if we all gave in to our innermost desires of leaving our repetitive lives and as Jeff put it in the movie, letting our futures remain unwritten. This movie will take you off of your couch and deep into Patagonia. If you're anything like me it will leave you searching for the soundtrack to keep you inspired as you begin to plan for an unplanned trip you've pined for your entire life but always found a sensible reason to remain unhappy at your 9-5.

If you like the outdoors, and even if you don't the movie is worth watching. I'm a climber and a hiker, so this film appealed to me in every way.

The film does get a bit philanthropic at one point, but how can you blame these guys for giving a little plug about the things they feel so passionately about?

The outdoor settings in the movie are outstanding to say the least. I'm not usually a huge Hi-Def snob, but I highly recommend you watch the film on good TV.

As for the first couple of reviews, I say they are bogus. These guys give so much back. How you can call these guys self important when you have people like the Walton family around is beyond me.

All-in-all, good movie, good guys, great settings.