The Perfect Wave comes packaged as a Christian or religious movie however one could easily change the title to 'The Perfect Family Movie' and be pretty close to the truth. Based on the true events of a young surfer who quits home in pursuit of his dream of the perfect wave it has the potential to be a bit of a yawner, far from it. The story line, while never rushed or compressed kept me riveted from the first frame to the last. It is beautifully written with just the right amount of clichés, like pepper and salt in the soup one needs to be careful as to what amount is added and in this case it tasted just fine.
The power of the acting was outstanding yet understated with very little ham, near perfect timing plus natural facial and body expression. However, the exceptional performances of Scott Eastwood (Ian McCormack) Rachel Hendrix (Annabel) and Cheryl Ladd (Mrs McCormack) were the key ingredient that transformed this potential cheesecake into a zesty Pavlova. They harpooned my heart and pulled me along to engage with the story, identify with the situations and feel for the characters as events unfolded. Indeed I was wiping away my first tear surprisingly early on in the film.
Another amazing thing about this movie is the way it transformed a relatively sedate early story line into such a dynamic and watchable experience leading up to the hugely dramatic ending with such panache. The praise for this must go to the production team. The cinematography, (especially the wave scenes) the editing, (just one small continuity distraction) the sound, the music (you will want to buy the DVD if it comes out), the lighting, the locations, the effects all perfectly and sensitively encased the story with great creativity and care. This could never therefore be a movie known for its great this or that but for the way in which this and that pulled together to create a beautiful movie.
There is a Christian message conveyed in the movie but done is such a way that it will not offend even the most anti-religious individual but if it did, what a pity it would be to allow one's views of religion to have one miss out on such a wonderful movie experience. Like The Passion of the Christ I believe this film can be enjoyed by all and loved by many. Yes this is a truly remarkable true story and as such, could even become one of the most touching and memorable films you will see. I know, as I am writing this with the effect of the film still stirring my mind and I do not believe the impact of this film will be diluted by the passage of time.
So to sum up this is a film that embraces all that is beautiful about the silver screen, all that is heart rendering about powerful acting and all that is unique in a true story, a story about The Perfect Wave.
Derek Keith
