Malibu Crush

It would be misleading to claim this is a brilliant film (in either regard - as comedy or character study), it's an assured indie picture that finds its footing and achieves a surprising level of comedy throughout its running time.

The movie was a breath of fresh air in many ways, it's one of the best independent comedies I've seen in a long time because it avoids the politics of film making and sticks to just comedy.

Almost all M-rated comedies produced today are PC and unfunny. The PC-rating has become a hindrance to film studios' sensibilities - everything is PG-13, saving the shameless Unrated jokes to be replaced by politically correct safety words with zero humor. The occasional released M-rated comedy, as such, is infrequently modest.

I hope Malibu Crush becomes a cult flick in the years to come. It's deserving of acknowledgment and while we may live in an era saturated with unnecessary politically correct comedy, I finished watching Malibu Crush hoping to see these guys again. And that's a rare feeling these days.

There is much to appreciate about Malibu Crush. I gave myself 2 minutes to decide if I wanted to watch the entire film and ended up watching it all the way through and placing it on my blog as a top 10 comedy to watch in 2023.

The movie chronicles the lives of native Los Angeles residents Michael Chase and Duey on their quest to reunite with a long-lost girlfriend from high school Bridgette Van Ryan who now lives in Bondi Beach Australia.

Malibu Crush is a comedy at its core, so anyone watching be prepared for crude humour with dumb characters, however, it also has some intelligent scenes to keep the film on track and help the objective of finding an ex-girlfriend in another country.

The acting performances are decent, I found out much of the film was shot in Australia using several Australian actors doing US accents, considering this and the fact it was a low-budget film this is even more impressive. In particular, actor and director James Pratt stands out in his performance as Michael alongside Bella Valentini who plays the authentic yet sweet Emma. Scott E Miller has some funny moments as the annoying boss from hell.

Cinematographer Conner Jansen also did a nice job using a softer textures to show Bondi Beach in Australia over Los Angeles.

It would be great if this film had a sequel with more money attached because for what it is on a low budget Malibu Crush is a solid movie.

8/10.

A good movie in it's own right, but not your typical comedy material.

As the movie started, I was trying to compare it to other comedies in it's form of humor, it's a mix of American Pie, Dude Where's my Car and has parts that feel similar to a Stephen Merchant comedy.

Many of the scenes are basic, but still pull a laugh. The movie was good, but compared on a comedic level to American Pie or Dude Where's my Car, it falls short because of the scale of the film. It looks like it was shot on a small budget so the audience relies on the humor and acting rather than having special effects and bigger locations.

In general the acting is hilarious, Billy White and James Pratt definitely turn a pretty simple story line into an entertaining movie. Bella Valentini and Brittany Hockley also have acting scenes that keep you watching.

I like the movie, it over achieves for an independent film, however it doesn't compare to an American Pie scale and won't be the same watching.

Malibu Crush starts in Los Angeles with Michael Chase ( James Pratt ) spraying an 81-year-old lady in the face with a fire extinguisher, and Duey ( Billy White ) drinking beer on the couch while hiding from his landlord. This pretty much sums up what to expect for the rest of the film - A fun buddy comedy with some outrageous moments.

As the film progresses, Michael receives a phone call from an ex-girlfriend Bridgett ( Kelly Monisse ) stating she's getting married and has a kid. The only issue is Bridgett lives in Sydney Australia and so Michael and Duey set out to Sydney under a student exchange program to stop a wedding.

Upon arrival in Sydney a string of memorable character actors enter the film including Rach Taylor ( Sarah-Louise Collidge ) The Boss, Paul GoFuller ( Scott E Miller ) Jade ( Brittany Hockley ) Carl ( Dan Musial ) and Emma ( Bella Valentini).

The comedy works well within storyline. It's a mix of urgency between Michael and Duey stopping a wedding while keeping up the disguise of being film directors shooting a big-budget commercial.

There are a few humorous gems from this film that have a high place on my list of memorable comedy scenes to watch, such as Johnny Watson being run over by a golf cart after Duey changes the script, The scene in which Tiffany's ( Yuan Lin ) strict father uncovers porn magazines after Michael and Duey lend their apartment to her and the fantasy scene in the spa between Duey and Rach Taylor.

However one of the most memorable scenes is not a comedy scene but rather a soft and touching moment between Michael and Emma over sunset on Bondi Beach in Australia, this is beautifully shot ( Conner Jansen cinematographer) and captures a brief pause in the mayhem and comedy which adds to the overall enjoyment of the film. Often comedy films have too much emphasis on just trying to be funny and not allowing the audience a break, Malibu Crush doesn't have this problem it's a comedy movie but it allows the audience a break every so often with some touching and nostalgic moments.

Malibu Crush is a film that doesn't attempt to be smart. This should be evident from the title. However, the film is good at not trying to be smart and passes a point where it becomes a masterpiece in dumb comedy and keeps you watching.

The wide cast of characters keeps the film's plot fresh and in spite of some ridiculous plot elements the film manages to burst quite a few guts with its utter retardedness. The film's plot actually has a pretty smart setup, "A guy trying to track down his dream girl in a foreign country, but it's the comedy that happens that's why you watch not the story. The movie is luckily not a one-joke film either. The amount of variety makes most comedies seem very bland by comparison.

The film is a brilliant no-brainer, but a nightmare for lovers of intelligent cinema.