Curapedi
I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
Robert Joyner
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Lela
The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.
david-1301
This is one of those movies I hope to see again. I often surf the internet hoping to find this movie released on DVD. A great soundtrack, a good cast and an interesting angle on growing up... surf style. Includes the best recording of "California Dreamin" extent, and the instrumental "Brothers Theme" is haunting! The sub plot of re-living the glory days by an over the hill surfer in contrast with the adolescence of the kids around him provides sort of a retrospective view of life. It is a deeper movie than it seems to be on the surface, which makes the comedy funnier, and the sad moments even more so, kind of like a good episode of MASH. A cleaned up 5.1 enhanced DVD release of this movie would be most welcome by me!
campblood13
Seymour Cassel gives a great performance, a tour de force. His acting as supposed washed up beach stud Duke Slusarski will always have a place in my heart. The film is centered around a nerd who just came to the beach in hopes of honoring his dead brother's dreams. What he gets is lame surf hijinks. Guys cheating, guys fighting, and guys getting drunk going to watch surf documentaries with the whole town of LA on a Friday night. Duke takes the nerd in and tries to teach him how playing volleyball is like touching a woman. Next time my woman talks back I will pretend I'm spiking the ball. Back to Seymour Cassel. The end of the movie turns into a good drama, since the first half of the film really had no point. Duke plays a wonderful game of volleyball, the best he's played in over ten years. The way the scene is shot is beautiful. You can feel the heart this man has for the game and the love of being on the beach. Those five minutes will go down as one of my favorites of all time. 3/10 Bad to Fair, the rest of the movie was lame.
jwrowe3
I happened to surf (pardon the pun) in on this movie the other night. As it appeared to be from the late 1970's I decided to see what it was about….My first thought was that it seemed a bit older than it really was. The `look' of the movie was more, 1975, than 1979. I usually look for the cars in the flick to date it. And near the end a 1977 Cadillac sits in the background of a shot, so I put my date at '77, but was surprised to see the date of 1979.An earlier poster mentioned that this was one of the grand daddy's of the 80's `Boy+boobs' types of movies. That works for me, as you get a little bit of what most male teenagers wanted at the movies. As I was 18 when this came out, I can speak from experience. Give us some pretty girls, a little gratuitous nudity, a little drug use, toss in liquor, and the beach. Perfect! I also noticed an earlier poster mentioned the sound track was different than they had remembered. Not surprising, as copy write laws mess w/movies. I thought the music when I saw it in 2003 was awful. I suspect whatever original tracks by known artists got yanked, and replaced with the cheezy tunes used when shown on television.+minor spoiler+I was surprised at the plot twist near the end. No, you don't see it coming.
Worth a look if you want to relive your youth, or there isn't much else on the TV.
ekwynn
"The 'Citizen Kane' of Beach Movies." Keith Kuramoto, Cinema Graduate, San Francisco State University
"This film was the template for all the teen-sex, coming-of-age, boys-and-boobs films of the 80's and 90's - From 'Porky's' to 'American Pie.'" Brian MacGregor, Cinema Graduate, San Francisco State University
This definitive Southern California sun-and-surf cult film is sacred in Japan!Where's the DVD for this film?Vestron Video!Are you listening? MGM: Where's the SEQUEL? California Dreamt!
