Mavericks

Since childhood, 15-year-old Jay Moriarity (Jonny Weston) has only one real passion: surfing! Fear knows Jay thereby not. The bigger and riskier the wave, the better. But one big dream has been denied to the boy so far: he really wants to ride a Maverick, a legendary wave in the surfing scene. The fact that mavericks actually exist and that they are created in perfect wind conditions, even very close to his hometown, must simply be a twist of fate. And so Jay asks his neighbor, the once legendary surfer Rick Frosty Henson (Gerard Butler), to train him to the point where he can ride the Mavericks. With the giant wave season already twelve weeks away, the two have little time. But the grumpy Rick and the stubborn Jay get their act together after some initial teething problems, and a friendship develops that will end up doing a lot more for both of them than surfing a giant wave.

Mavericks tells the true story of surfing icon Jay Moriarty (1978 - 2011), who became a legend on the surfing scene at the age of sixteen when his spectacular ride on the Mavericks put him on the cover of the prestigious Surfer Magazine. Until his far too early death just before his 23rd birthday, Moriarty lived out his love of the ocean and surfing with full passion. A passion of which, unfortunately, there is very little in the film. Director Curtis Henson (L.A. Confidential), who was replaced by Michael Apted (James Bond - The World Is Not Enough) three weeks before the end of shooting due to a serious illness, has directed a nice, but also too ordinary movie. The only time the whole thing is really convincing is when the action takes place on the water.

In these scenes, cinematographer Bill Pope (Matrix) has captured some really great imagery, showing that the film could have been much better had the makers focused more on the surfing, rather than the coming of age story. But even though Jay's passion for surfing and huge waves are at the center of the story, much of the drama deals with Jay and Rick's relationship, the boy's problems with his mother (Elisabeth Shue), his outsider role in his school, or coping with his anger and grief over the departure of his father, whose return Jay hopes for day after day, even after many years. It wouldn't be a big deal in itself that the film focuses more on these aspects of the story, had they not been directed in such a pale and clichéd way.

The dialogue is either filled with excessive pathos or seems like a somewhat loveless collection of cliché phrases. And that's exactly how they are delivered by the somewhat pale actors. There are some scenes, though, in which the relationship between Jay and Rick provides for some amusing or even emotional moments. However, these moments aren't enough to add any lasting quality to Mavericks. As fascinating as Jay Moriarty's short life may have been, as intriguing as his skills as a surfer were, there is unfortunately far too little of that in the film. It's a nice drama that isn't really bad, but is so convincing in too few moments to be called completely successful. And that's why the whole thing is only really recommendable for those viewers who attach more importance to some pretty pictures than to a gripping and polished dramaturgy.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp