Chasing Mavericks

Last updated
Chasing Mavericks
Chasing Mavericks Poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by Kario Salem
Story by
  • Jim Meenaghan
  • Brandon Hooper
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Bill Pope
Edited by John Gilbert
Music by Chad Fischer
Production
companies
Distributed by 20th Century Fox (through Fox 2000 Pictures)
Release date
  • October 26, 2012 (2012-10-26) [1]
Running time
116 minutes [2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million [3]
Box office$7.9 million [4]

Chasing Mavericks is a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity (portrayed by Jonny Weston). It was directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, and stars Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, and Leven Rambin.

Contents

Filming took place in October 2011. While Hanson began production, Apted was brought in to finish the final 15 days of shooting and post due to Hanson's failing health. It was the final film directed by Hanson before his death in 2016, and the second-to-last film directed by Apted before his death in 2021.

Chasing Mavericks was released in the United States on October 26, 2012, received mixed reviews from critics, and grossed $7 million against its $20 million budget.

Plot

In 1987, an 8-year-old boy in Santa Cruz, California named Jay Moriarity is saved from drowning by his next door neighbor, surfer Frosty Hesson (Gerard Butler). This ignites his passion for the sport.

One morning, Jay (Jonny Weston), now 15, sees Frosty leaving early and hitches a ride on his van. He sees Frosty and three of his friends riding a gigantic swell known as Mavericks which, with El Niño coming in, will be at its height in three months' time.

Reluctantly, Frosty agrees to teach Jay how to surf Mavericks, but insists that he learn about the "foundation pillars of surfing". This involves learning to paddle board 36 miles across Monterey Bay (from Santa Cruz to Monterey), treading water for 40 minutes and being able to hold his breath for four minutes.

While training, Frosty encourages Jay to write essays to focus on the task. His first essay is about Kim (Leven Rambin), his crush, whose dog he saved when he was 8, which caused him to nearly drown. Jay gets closer to Kim as he trains, partially encouraged by Frosty's wife, Brenda (Abigail Spencer). A few weeks before the biggest swell of the season hits Mavericks, Brenda has a stroke and dies.

A few days later, distraught from Brenda's death, Frosty paddles out into the bay. Jay follows him, and using the knowledge from his training, he gets Frosty back to shore. Frosty realizes that Jay is ready to ride Mavericks. Frosty takes Jay to Mavericks at Half Moon Bay and watches with his three friends as Jay treads water against the tide. The group agrees that Jay is ready to ride with them.

On Jay's 16th birthday on June 15, 1994, his mother (Elisabeth Shue) gives him a radio to listen to weather broadcasts and track the swell. Frosty gives him a custom-made "big wave gun" (a long surfboard especially designed for riding big waves). Kim reveals her feelings and they share a kiss.

Frosty had wanted to keep Mavericks a secret, but Jay's notebook that he had been using for preparation ends up in the hands of his rival Sonny (Taylor Handley). When Jay and Frosty go to Half Moon Bay, there is a large crowd and boats taking surfers out.

Many of the newcomers wipe out before getting to surf Mavericks. Jay wipes out at first, but then retrieves his board and successfully rides Mavericks. A title card reveals that he married Kim and died at age 22 while free-diving in the Maldives. The film ends with Frosty, Kim, and an assemblage of others holding a surfers' memorial service for Jay.

Cast

Production

The film went into production in October 2011 around Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, California. [5] On December 19, Gerard Butler was hospitalized briefly after being injured during a surfing stunt. [6] Gerard Butler was mentored by big-wave surfer Grant Washburn. [7] Michael Apted received director credit alongside Curtis Hanson after he took over as director during the last 15 days of principal photography, while Hanson recovered from complications arising from recent heart surgery. [8]

Soundtrack

Chasing Mavericks (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Compilation album by
Various
ReleasedOctober 22, 2012
Genre Alternative rock
Label Relativity Music Group
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Plowed" Sponge 3:17
2."Brimful of Asha" Cornershop 5:17
3."Blue Light" Mazzy Star 5:08
4."Girlfriend" Matthew Sweet 3:40
5."Pepper" Butthole Surfers 4:56
6."Start Choppin" Dinosaur Jr. 5:37
7."Fade into You" Mazzy Star 4:54
8."Into Your Arms" The Lemonheads 3:54
9."I Need an Energy" Greg Holden 4:35
10."Chasing Mavericks Score Suite"Chad Fischer5:57
Other songs used in the film

Reception

Box office

Chasing Mavericks grossed $6 million in the United States, and $1.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $7.9 million. [4]

The film was released on October 26, 2012 in 2,002 theaters, grossing $2.3 million in its opening weekend and finishing 13th at the box office; Box Office Mojo called the figure "dreadful." It was the 11th-worst debut for a film playing in over 2,000 theaters. [9] It made $1.2 million in its second weekend then lost 1,571 theaters and grossed $448,648 in its third. [10]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 32% based on 81 reviews, with an average rating of 4.90/10. The site's consensus states: "It's sweet, gentle, and affably modest, but Chasing Mavericks is ultimately pulled under by an unconvincing script and a puzzling lack of energy." [11] On Metacritic it has a score of 45 out 100 based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F. [13]

Roger Ebert praised the film, saying that "Chasing Mavericks is made with more care and intelligence than many another film starting with its template might have been. It's better than most movies targeted at teens. And the cinematography of the big Mavericks scene by Oliver Euclid and Bill Pope is so frightening that you sort of understand why Frosty stays on the shore, watching Jay with binoculars." [14]

Home media

Chasing Mavericks was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on February 26, 2013.[ citation needed ]

Book

In October 2012, Frosty Hesson published Making Mavericks with Zola Books. The book is a memoir filled with Hesson's life-affirming lessons and described his experience mentoring Jay Moriarity. [15]

Related Research Articles

<i>Chasing Amy</i> 1997 film by Kevin Smith

Chasing Amy is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtis Hanson</span> American filmmaker (1945–2016)

Curtis Lee Hanson was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Born in Reno, Nevada, Hanson grew up in Los Angeles. After dropping out of high school, Hanson worked as photographer and editor for Cinema magazine. In the 1970s, Hanson participated as a writer for the horror film The Dunwich Horror (1970) and made his directorial debut the B-Movie Sweet Kill (1973), where he lacked creative control to fulfill his vision. While Hanson continued directing, he rose to prominence screenwriting critically acclaimed films such as The Silent Partner (1978), White Dog (1982), and Never Cry Wolf (1983).

<i>Point Break</i> 1991 film by Kathryn Bigelow

Point Break is a 1991 American action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term "point break", where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline. The film features Reeves as an undercover FBI agent who is tasked with investigating the identities of a group of bank robbers while he develops a complex relationship with the group's leader (Swayze).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elisabeth Shue</span> American actress (born 1963)

Elisabeth Shue is an American actress. She has starred in the films The Karate Kid (1984), Adventures in Babysitting (1987), Cocktail (1988), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Back to the Future Part III (1990), Soapdish (1991), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), The Saint (1997), Hollow Man (2000), Piranha 3D (2010), Battle of the Sexes (2017), Death Wish (2018), and Greyhound (2020). For her performance in Leaving Las Vegas, she was nominated for the Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for Best Actress.

<i>Adventures in Babysitting</i> 1987 film by Chris Columbus

Adventures in Babysitting is a 1987 American teen comedy film written by David Simkins and directed by Chris Columbus in his directorial debut. It stars Elisabeth Shue, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, and Maia Brewton, and features cameos by blues singer/guitarist Albert Collins and singer-songwriter Southside Johnny Lyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mavericks, California</span> Surfing location in California, US

Mavericks is a surfing location in northern California outside Pillar Point Harbor, just north of the town of Half Moon Bay at the village of Princeton-by-the-Sea. After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely crest at over 25 ft (8 m) and top out at over 60 ft (18 m). The break is caused by an unusually shaped underwater rock formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerard Butler</span> Scottish actor and film producer (born 1969)

Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as Mrs Brown (1997), the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, he starred as Count Dracula in the gothic horror film Dracula 2000. He played Attila the Hun in the miniseries Attila (2001), then appeared in the films Reign of Fire (2002) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003) before starring in the science fiction film Timeline (2003). He played Erik, The Phantom in Joel Schumacher's 2004 musical The Phantom of the Opera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big wave surfing</span> Surfing waves at least 20 ft high

Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into, or are towed into, waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as the technique the surfer uses to reach the wave. A larger, longer board allows a rider to paddle fast enough to catch the wave and has the advantage of being more stable, but it also limits maneuverability and surfing speed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leven Rambin</span> American actress

Leven Alice Rambin is an American actress. She is known for playing look-alike half-sisters Lily Montgomery and Ava Benton on All My Children, and for her recurring roles on Grey's Anatomy and Gone, as well as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, One Tree Hill, Wizards of Waverly Place, and CSI: Miami. She appeared in the sci-fi film The Hunger Games (2012) as the District 1 tribute Glimmer, and appeared as Clarisse La Rue in the fantasy film Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013).

Patrick Shane Dorian, or "Shane", is an American surfer from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He spent 11 years touring on the World Championship Tour as a professional surfer. Dorian quit competition surfing in 2003 to focus on big waves. He is currently a big wave surfer and one of the best in the world at big wave riding.

<i>Surfs Up</i> (film) 2007 American computer-animated mockumentary comedy film

Surf's Up is a 2007 American animated mockumentary comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It was directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck from a screenplay they co-wrote with Don Rhymer and producer Chris Jenkins, based on a story by Jenkins and Christian Darren. The film stars the voices of Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, and James Woods. It is a parody of surfing documentaries, such as The Endless Summer and Riding Giants, with parts of the plot parodying North Shore. Real-life surfers Kelly Slater and Rob Machado have vignettes as their penguin surfer counterparts. To obtain the desired hand-held documentary feel, the film's animation team motion-captured a physical camera operator's moves.

<i>Molly</i> (1999 film) 1999 American film

Molly is a 1999 romantic comedy-drama film about a 28-year-old woman with autism who comes into the custody of her neurotic executive brother. The film was directed by John Duigan and written by Dick Christie of Small Wonder-fame, and stars Elisabeth Shue as the title character, Aaron Eckhart as her older brother, and Jill Hennessy.

Peter Mel, is an American professional surfer. Mel began his surfing life in Capitola, California before moving on to Santa Cruz. He is known as a 'big wave' surfer and son of John Mel, a four time surfing National Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Long (surfer)</span> American surfer (born 1983)

Greg Long is an American surfer from San Clemente, California. He has won the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational, in memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay, the Red Bull Titans of Mavericks event held at Mavericks in Northern California, and the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event held at Dungeons in Hout Bay, South Africa. Additionally, he is the most decorated surfer in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards. He is widely regarded as one of the best big wave surfers in the world.

<i>Soul Surfer</i> (film) 2011 film by Sean McNamara

Soul Surfer is a 2011 American biographical sports drama film directed by Sean McNamara, based on the 2004 memoir Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton about her life as a surfer after losing her left arm in a horrific shark attack and her recovery. The film stars AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Lorraine Nicholson with Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo, Sonya Balmores, Branscombe Richmond, and Craig T. Nelson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Moriarity</span> American surfer

Jay Moriarity was a surfer from Santa Cruz, California. He was an accomplished surfer, waterman, and adventurer. As a surfer, he made his reputation surfing Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, California. At age 16, he was made internationally famous when his wipeout at Mavericks was caught on film and made the cover of Surfer magazine. Although a successful competitor, Jay is remembered as a soul surfer, winning many sportsmanship awards throughout his career. A biopic of his life, Chasing Mavericks, was released in 2012.

Joshua Leonard "Josh" Pomer is an American film director, screenwriter, film producer, and executive producer. He grew up on the west side of Santa Cruz, California.

Jonny Weston is an American actor. He starred as real-life surfer Jay Moriarity in the 2012 film Chasing Mavericks and as brainy high school student David Raskin in the 2015 time-travel adventure Project Almanac. He has also appeared in Sugar, John Dies at the End, About Cherry, Caroline and Jackie, and Kelly & Cal.

<i>Point Break</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Ericson Core

Point Break is a 2015 action-thriller film directed and shot by Ericson Core and written by Kurt Wimmer. He co-produced it with John Baldecchi, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Christopher Taylor and David Valdes.

<i>Surfs Up 2: WaveMania</i> 2017 animated film by Henry Yu

Surf's Up 2: WaveMania is a 2017 animated comedy film directed by Henry Yu. It is the sequel to the 2007 film Surf's Up. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation and WWE Studios with animation from Mainframe Studios, the film received a direct-to-video release on January 17, 2017, on DVD and digital media. The reception to the sequel was mostly negative. Jeremy Shada and Melissa Sturm respectively replace Shia LaBeouf and Zooey Deschanel as Cody Maverick and Lani Aliikai. Jon Heder and Diedrich Bader return as Chicken Joe and Tank Evans, respectively, while WWE professional wrestlers John Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H, Saraya Bevis, Michael Cole, and Vince McMahon make up the rest of the cast.

References

  1. ↑ "Chasing Mavericks". ComingSoon.net. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Chasing Mavericks (PG)". British Board of Film Classification . 2013-06-07. Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
  3. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (2012-10-25). "'Silent Hill' sequel likely to lead lackluster weekend at box office". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2013-03-01. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  4. 1 2 "Chasing Mavericks (2012)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
  5. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (October 3, 2011). "Fox 2000 Boards Walden Media's Gerard Butler Surfing Pic 'Of Men and Mavericks' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Gerard Butler injured while filming 'Of Men and Mavericks' stunt". Digital Spy. December 20, 2011. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  7. ↑ Lytal, Cristy (October 28, 2012). "Gerard Butler's surfing mentor? That's Grant Washburn". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  8. ↑ Fleming, Michael Jr. (November 23, 2011). "Michael Apted To Finish Surf Movie For Curtis Hanson". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "Weekend Report: 'Argo' Ahead of Four Dreadful Debuts". Box Office Mojo. 28 October 2012. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Chasing Mavericks (2012) - Domestic Weekends". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Chasing Mavericks (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Chasing Mavericks Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  13. ↑ "CHASING MAVERICKS (2012) B+". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  14. ↑ Ebert, Roger (October 24, 2012). "A wise surfer would stay on the beach". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Making Mavericks: A Memoir by Frosty Hesson". Surfwire. September 6, 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.