Blue Crush

Three young women (Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Sanoe Lake) surf the Maui waves while supporting themselves as hotel maids; meanwhile, one of them (Bosworth) lets her romance with a vacationing NFL star (Matthew Davis) interfere with preparing for the big Pipeline surf tournament. Written by Lizzy Weiss (from Susan Orlean’s magazine article “Surf Girls of Maui”) and expertly directed by John Stockwell, the film is lightweight but deft summer entertainment. The surfing scenes are excellent—beautifully shot and deftly edited. Better still, the pacing and interest don’t flag when the action moves ashore; the relationship of the three young friends is nuanced and convincing, performances are good, and the young actors are appealing. Several pro women surfers make cameo appearances as themselves.