Chasing Mavericks

Off Santa Cruz in California a wave called Mavericks breaks; it can reach fifty feet and was long thought to be a legend. Jay Moriarity is fifteen and wants to ride it. His neighbour Frisco, an experienced surfer, agrees to train him on one condition: no going in the water until a four-part preparation list is complete. Half the film happens not at sea but around breath-holding and fear. Curtis Hanson directed. Gerard Butler plays Frisco. The story is true; Moriarity was real and died young. There is a second director's name on the credits, Michael Apted. The reason is that Hanson could not continue after complications from heart surgery, and Apted finished the last fifteen days of principal photography. The ocean scenes were shot at the real Mavericks and the danger was real. Gerard Butler nearly drowned when a twenty-foot wave broke on his head during a scene and was taken to hospital on 19 December. Who it is for: viewers who like surf films and sports drama built on a true story. Who it is not for: anyone avoiding sentiment. The film uses the master and apprentice template exactly as it comes and leans hard on the music in the final stretch.