Movie Review Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer (2011) 

Directed by Sean McNamara

Written by Sean McNamara, Douglas Schwartz, Michael Berk

Starring AnnaSophia Robb, Carrie Underwood, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid

Release Date April 8th, 2011

Published April 8th, 2011

Bethany Hamilton's story is one of courage and perseverance deeply rooted in faith. Bethany's story of becoming a teenage surf champion, losing her arm in a shark attack and coming back to be a surf champion again is remarkable and with so many compelling elements in place it should have easily translated to a moving big screen experience.

Yet, we have "Soul Surfer" , a facile, dull witted take on Bethany's remarkable story. Terrific actors like AnnaSophia Robb, Academy Award winner Helen Hunt and leading man Dennis Quaid wilting in the face of a script so wildly simpleminded that only an amateur actor could have made any of it seem remotely real.

Underwood succeeds where the real actors fail

In fact, one amateur actress in the cast of "Soul Surfer," country music superstar Carrie Underwood, actually makes my point perfectly. Underwood succeeds where the real actors fail by blithely delivering her homily choked dialogue without affect and without the glaring obviousness of discomfort that the real actors are choking on.

AnnaSophia Robb is Bethany Hamilton. At 16 years old Bethany is a champion surfer in a family of surfers. Her father, Tom (Dennis Quaid) is her coach, her brother Noah (Ross Thomas) is her videographer and her mom Cheri is her biggest cheerleader. Bethany's best friend Alana (Lorraine Nicholson) is also her top surfing competitor.

Better as a documentary

Bethany was surfing with Alana, her brother and Alana's dad Holt (Kevin Sorbo) when a shark attacked and tore Bethany's arm off. This sequence of Soul Surfer is moving but once it ends we are thrust back into a story populated by stick figure versions of what we can only imagine are far more complex and interesting real people.

I have no doubt that a documentary about Bethany Hamilton would be thousands of times more interesting than anything in the shallow "Soul Surfer." This simplistic version of Bethany's story insults the audience and the real Bethany by delivering a superficial version of Bethany's extraordinary story.

Sticky, syrupy platitudes

Barely a moment of "Soul Surfer" rings true emotionally. Director Sean McNamara, who also wrote the script with the aid of several other writers, presents Bethany's story with such thick layers of sticky, syrupy platitude that it's a wonder any real emotion escapes the screen.

You could wait for "Soul Surfer" to come out on DVD but a more productive employment of your patience would have you wait for someone to license the footage of the real Bethany used over the closing credits of "Soul Surfer" for a documentary that might give her story the kind of telling it deserves.

Movie Review Hijack'd

Hijack'd (2003) Cabin Pressure

Directed by Alan Simmonds 

Written by Douglas Schwartz 

Starring Craig Scheffer

Release Date March 11th, 2003

Published March 16th, 2003 

Robert Redford once saw something in actor Craig Sheffer. So much so that he cast him opposite Brad Pitt in his 1992 film A River Runs Through It. However, Sheffer wasn't able to capitalize on this opportunity and since has been relegated to the straight to video market. His latest straight to video feature, Hijack'd is yet another head scratcher that will leave you wondering what happened to this actor who seemed to have such a bright future.

In Hijack'd (no I'm not misspelling it, that is the title), Sheffer is drunk former airline pilot who returns to his hometown to start his life again. Once home he finds his ex-wife Reece (Rachel Hayward) is about to test an experimental new airplane. It's a plane that flies without a pilot. The plane can take off and land on it's own needing a pilot only if something goes wrong.

The airline has tried this once before and electrical problems caused the plane to crash and kill it's pair of pilots. That crash caused the boss (John Pyper) to fire the man whom designed the plane's computer system. The programmer unfortunately is an unstable nut who seeks his revenge by hacking his own system and taking control of the plane which just happens to be carrying a US Senator, his son, daughter in law and his former boss. Why they would fly on a plane no one is sure about is one of the film's many leaps?

Well you don't need a map to follow this plot. The nutjob tips off the good guys to his plot and through some amazing plot contrivances, Sheffer's ex-husband character is left to search for the madman before he crashes the plane and kills everyone on board.

The potential that Robert Redford once saw in young Craig Sheffer flashes one time in an early scene in Hijack'd where he sits in a bar drunk attempting to pick up a blonde bimbo. For a moment his charisma shines through. Unfortunately it is crushed under the weight of the plot which forces him into thriller mode shenanigans.

By the way if your looking for this one on IMDB it's listed under it's original title, Cabin Pressure. Why they changed it to the ridiculous alliteration Hijack'd is anyone’s guess.