Soul Surfer (Sean McNamara, TriStar Pictures, 2011)

Rarely have I ever seen a more inspirational story put to film than the story of Bethany Hamilton in SOUL SURFER (Sean McNamara, TriStar Pictures, 2011). A well documented story, Hamilton survived losing her arm to shark attack as a thirteen year old and went on to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional surfer. Her story is one of remarkable perseverance, an unyielding desire to overcome the obstacles placed in front of her, and her complete faith and reliance on God. Unfortunately the adaptation of this story into the narrative of the film doesn't quite hold up to the same standard.

The narrative adaptation for the film is weak at best. The life and world portrayed for Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) and her family is idyllic and utterly perfect. And while the life her family leads prior to the attack is just that, this type of life lends no conflict and any good writer will tell you drama is conflict. So naturally the narrative will suffer. The narrative is further weakened by every aspect of the film seemingly being dipped in sugar and coated in honey. A good example of this is in the relationship between Bethany and her main competition in the water, Malina Birch (Sonya Balmores). The entire film is spent showing nothing but contempt and antagonism between the two girls yet at the final award presentation all is swept away and the girls are instant friends. Show us that Bethany is hyper competitive, aggressive in the water, a girl who wants to win at all costs. Do not craft an antagonist and then pull that relationship from the audience. It weakens the overall film.

I am not a religious man by any stretch, but reading production notes on the film after viewing it enlightened me to the knowledge that for the film the studio decided to downplay the religious angle for Bethany and her family. This was done for better box office results. This really annoys me as a cinephile. A very large part of her recovery and ongoing success is her religion. It is the essence of her existence. By downplaying it, by subverting it for sales you completely weaken the narrative. As a viewing audience when did it become impossible for us to view things we didn't agree with in total revulsion. It's part of the story, seeing it lends weight to the narrative. Leave it in!

As for the rest of the film, the other aspects were done well. As I watched the film I did have certain things I couldn't get out of my mind. First, for older actors both Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid are not only in great physical shape but I had to wonder if they surfed themselves? As for the surfing, some really nice waves were caught and that led me to think of just how awesome it must have been to film in Hawaii. On breaks, I wonder was the crew allowed to paddle out?

Ultimately the film is standard popcorn fare albeit one with a tremendous message. I immediately came away rather impressed with Bethany Hamilton, and thinking that the message of being able to accomplish anything is so true. Any surfer should watch but this film is good for just about anyone.