Chasing Mavericks

Stunning, nostalgic ocean/beach/surf/coastside visuals, and a watery-emotional story combine to pique any Half Moon Bay romantic to smile, point, shake their head...and gasp with awe. It's, of course, a five-star Flic for me (I am from Half Moon Bay); I'm sure anyone not from Half Moon Bay will have to give it at least a four. In the end, even though it is a love story, it's a surf movie--and a good one. From what I know of surfing, I don't think this tells the whole story, but I think it's a good start. I pray that it opens the door for more stories of this subculture to be told. Bravo to all those that took great risks developing this saga, both before and during.

I do have a complaint: Jeff Clark of Half Moon Bay discovered Mavricks; has the name patented. He noticed the break from behind our High School, and in spite of warnings and skepticism by others, initially took incredible risk in developing Mavricks. He's this surf spot's pioneer, and though this story is really not about Mavricks, but about Jay Moriarty, Jeff Clark deserves his name prominently marqueed .... or maybe that's the sequel!

I went and saw this after reading many unfavorable reviews, and now having seen it I can't figure out all the negative attention. Granted, I may be a little biased having grown up surfing in Northern CA, paddling out at many of those spots, and looking up to the big wave chargers such as Jay, but based on entertainment value alone I thought it was great. The acting was solid, footage was incredible, and story never dragged on or lost my attention. The film portrayed a reasonably realistic vibe of Santa Cruz as a high school kid and the often not discussed elements of surfing. I thought it was great that they were able to bring in the real pioneers of Mavs and local shapers.

The only down-check was that it did feel slightly 'karate-kidish' at times and there were a few events that would be incredibly rare that all seemed to happen at opportune moments.

Perhaps this movie won't appeal as much to many who don't have a passion for the sport or appreciate the massive undertaking of paddling out in heavy surf - but I found it very entertaining. The story may not have been 100% accurate, but the point is to pay respect to and tell the story of an extremely driven and all around good guy.

OK, yeah, I rated it excellent because Chasing Mavericks was a 10 for its genre, IMO. Better than I thought it would be - this story of Jay Moriarty was heart-felt and well-acted. Gerard Butler was spot on for guys like that in Santa Cruz at that time. Jonny Weston was surprisingly good, too, portraying Jay Moriarty.

I loved this movie, the surfing scenes were photographed well. And the scenes around Santa Cruz brought back good memories. It was a throw-back to those movies that were not CG'd out, action flicks, super-heros, etc. (all of which I love BTW). It has a home-grown feeling with interesting colors and nice photography. I lived in the Santa Cruz surfing scene, although not a surfer myself, and really enjoyed the memories of hearing about Mavericks.

Very cool movie about a good and amazingly talented young surfer and his mentor. Surfing is a tight community, esp. back then. I think reviewers who may use the term "sappy" just don't realize how sappy/cool they were! Awesome film that I think young and old will really enjoy.

This movie was great - The filming of of the huge waves, surfers, and conditions was fantastic. I found it a beautiful story of people, the challenge of relationships, mixed with the thrill of surfing, and the athletic abilities required for the champions.

From the heart, this is a true story of a young man, Jay (Jonny Weston), who in spite of many things against him, manages to make his dream come true based on hard work. It is also the story of another man, Frosty (Gerard Butler,) who has his own personal challenges, comes to terms with some of those, and builds a relationship with a young man who needs a father. I was particularly impressed by Brenda (Abigail Spencer), Frosty's wife, who simply loved him. Maybe a strange statement, but when you see the film, you will understand.

Definitely worth seeing!

For the life of me I don't know why it has a low review-- it's an amazing surfing movie. Heck, I'm not even a surfer and went into this very critical (I rarely go to sporty movies / inspirational flicks).

It's based on a TRUE story, has fantastic footage of surfing (after viewing how-to's I am now amazed at how they pulled this off), & features superb acting.

If you're looking for some ridiculous explosions, sex, and nonsensical action prepare to be impressed with something deeper. I loved how they didn't go with the norm simply to satisfy the masses.

This is a down-to-earth flick for people who are looking for something that really hits home and I would go spend $11 to re-watch this.