Soul Surfer tells the courageous and inspiring true story about a teenage and future pro surfer Bethany Hamilton who lost an arm after a shark attack and defied all odds, and not only did she get back in the ocean but she was able to do what she was put on this Earth to do—surf.
AnnaSophia Robb plays Bethany with so much passion and resilience, which she probably got from meeting the real woman. Bethany comes from a family of surfers. Her mother, Cheri (Helen Hunt), and her dad, Tom (Dennis Quaid), are both surfers and certainly encouraged her to become not just a surfer, but the absolute best one she could be. But when the attack happens, the whole family feels lost. They have no clue how life for Bethany will be or if she will ever be the same again. But when most people would give up and feel sorry for themselves, Bethany always believed she would be back in the water again. Her optimism and strong faith always picked her up and her and her story is unbelievable and certainly uplifting.
Director Sean McNamara has made a career out of directing children’s movies and Disney Channel series. So he uses the same approach and storytelling for Soul Surfer, and I am not sure if that was the best choice. The story deserves more than a teenage, faith-based movie that could have been on the Disney Channel. In the hands of another director, this story could have been more “adult” and could have avoided some of the cliches and some cheesy parts.
However, McNamara did get a terrific cast starting with Robb. She captures the energy and determination that Bethany had in order to overcome her challenges. Robb is a talented young actress that proves she has depth even at her age by showing the sincerity and spirit of a person after suffering such a terrible attack. And she is in good company by Quaid and Hunt playing her parents.
Soul Surfer has a great story but is not a great movie. It’s a pretty good one with strong performances, but it feels watered-down. It was made for just a specific audience in mind: teenage girls, surfers, and Christians. It feels like the people in charge just stayed around the surface and didn’t want to dive in any deeper. When you make a movie about a person and the audience already knows the story, then it is about the journey of the people in the story. And while we get a taste of it, it is not as compelling or engaging as it could be. But it certainly tries its best and knowing this is a true story, you can’t help but appreciate the effort.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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