Blue Crush

This topic contains:

• details about Blue Crush’s classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Blue Crush completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 8 January 2003.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Blue Crush contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• sexual references, nudity and sexual activity
• use of alcohol and other drugs
• coarse language
• the movie’s message
• overall comments

A synopsis of the story

Blue Crush is a movie about surfing, in particular about girls surfing. The main character Anne Marie has a dream to make the Pipe Line Surf Competition. She lives with her two friends Eden and Lena, and with her 14 year old sister Penny, who she has been left to take care of as their mother has abandoned them to run away with her boyfriend.

Anne Marie was a contender in a major surf competition 3 years ago where she nearly drowned. The movie, at times, will flashback to this time as Anne Marie faces her fears of surfing in the Pipe Line Competition. The movie's main theme is about preparing Anne Marie for this Competition and all the obstacles that get in her way.

Anne Marie, Eden and Lena work as a three-maid team at a local luxury resort by day, and spend the morning surfing. Penny goes to the local school, but is not always there on time or there at all. Anne Marie is fired from her job after approaching one of the hotels football guests to inform them about their inappropriate behaviour as a hotel guest.

Anne Marie is approached by Matt, one of the hotels football guests, to give him surfing lessons. At first she turns him down until her friends bring her to the realisation that there could be money involved. She begins to give him lessons and a romance between the two begins straight away. The romance causes friction between Anne Marie and her friend Eden, who is her surf coach, as Eden believes that Anne Marie is not focused and is spending too much time with Matt.

The movie looks at the relationships between Anne Marie and all the main characters of the movie as the Pipe Line Competition draws closer. The movie sees a fight between Anne Marie and her sister Penny, conflict between Eden and Anne Marie, a fight between Drew (Anne Marie's ex-boyfriend) and Matt, and Anne Marie questioning her relationship with Matt.The movie ends with Anne Marie entering the competition and though she may not come first she is successful in overcoming her fears and taking on the challenge of the great surf.

Use of violence

• Party scene where Anne Marie goes to find her little sister Penny. The sisters get into a verbal and physical fight with one another.
• Anne Marie takes Matt to a secluded part of the beach to give him a surf lesson. Some of the local guys turn up and start to have a go at Anne Marie and Matt as this part of the beach is only for the locals.
• Drew picks a fight with Matt, which becomes physical.
• Anne Marie slaps Drew across the head when he cuts her of when on a wave.

Material that may scare children

Under seven:

• At the start of the movie the images and sounds of the waves are very aggressive and scary. Anne Marie is dreaming of the time where she is dumped of her board and hits her head on the reef. This is referred to as the time where she nearly drowned as a contender in a surf competition. Throughout the movie the waves are portrayed as being fierce and scary.
• On a number of occasions in the movie Anne Marie has flash backs to the time where she nearly drowned. These images may frighten a younger child.
• Anne Marie and Penny have been abandoned by their mother who has run away with a boyfriend. Leaving them to fend for themselves. This may upset or confuse a child.

Seven to twelve years:

• The wave scenes as previously mentioned may scare some children in this age bracket, especially those who are already not to confident about the water.
• The scene where Drew picks a fight with Matt because he is surfing at a 'locals only' part of the beach may upset some children. The idea that someone could start a fight on you because you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Anne Marie and Penny being abandoned by their mother may upset children.

Early adolescence:

• There are no scenes in this movie that I feel a teenager wouldn't be able to deal with. The fight scenes are not unrealistic and are not to over the top.

Sexual references, nudity and sexual activity

• Joke made by Lena about Anne Marie reaching her sexual peak by 5th grade. This happens after dropping Penny off at school and being confronted by the school principal who questions Penny's lateness to school, and tells Anne Marie off for this. W
• When cleaning up one of the hotels rooms the girls come across an used condom. This grosses the girls out completely.
• Anne Marie wakes up naked in Matt's bed, implying that the kissing in the spa the night before has led to sex.
• Anne Marie is out at a function with Matt and the other footballers and their partners. She over hears some of the women talking about herself and Matt in the toilets. She gets upset and runs off. Matt chases her and asks her what is wrong. She reply's with "I'm just the maid you slept with on vacation."
• The first time Anne Marie comes home after spending some time with Matt she is confronted by her two friends and her sister about what she's been up to with Matt. They are joking around and teasing her about 'playing it'. There is reference to her 'working it' to earn her $1000 with Matt. The girls want to know if she has been sexual with Matt.
• One of the hotel guests wears very revealing and skimpy clothing. This is only in a very small part of the movie.
• After Anne Marie has given Matt his first surfing lesson she goes up to his hotel room where they begin to kiss and imply that they are going to have sex. They are interrupted by a phone call where Anne Marie decides to leave.
• There is a scene where Anne Marie is in the shower, but you only see her back.
• Matt buys Anne Marie a very low cut dress to wear to the dinner at the hotel.

Use of alcohol and other drugs

• Anne Marie comes home to find out that Penny has skipped school, been smoking and has taken the beers out of the fridge. She goes of to find Penny at a party where there is a lot of drinking and smoking going on. Anne Marie finds Penny drinking and smoking. They have a fight.
• Drinking at the dinner with all the footballers and their partners. Drinking not portrayed out of context or glamorised.

Coarse language

• When Anne Marie comes home to find Penny has skipped school (as mentioned above) she refers to Penny as a "fricken pain in the royal ass". When Anne Marie finds Penny at the party Penny yells at Anne Marie for being the one who made mum leave "screwing up all the time".
• The girls are at work and come across a particularly bad room which they have to clean. They refer to it as "fricken nasty" when there is "shit" all over the toilet and vomit on the floor.
• Anne Marie is talking about her younger sisters bad attitude and says that "she loves pissing me off"
• Matt is talking about one of his fellow footballers to Anne Marie. He tells her that he's your man if your "ass" is hanging out in the pockets on the field.
• When Anne Marie comes home from seeing Matt Eden says "don't give us shit cause you out there working it".
• Matt and Anne Marie talking about women Matt says "I'm scared shitless about women"
• When Anne Marie and Eden are having a heated discussion out in the surf after Anne Marie has been dumped by a wave Anne Marie says "I almost fricken died out there" "You assholes don't have the balls" (to go out in the surf like she does) " Your so 'fricken ballsie' you go out there" Eden tells Anne Marie to run off and become a "pro hoe".
• Drew refers to Anne Marie as his "bitch" at the Pipeline competition.

The movie’s message

In the movie there is a scene where the girls are driving dangerously to catch up with Matt in his car. They are on the wrong side of the road and they nearly cause an accident, and laugh about it. Parents may want to point out the dangers of driving in such a way and the seriousness of the situation.

In the movie violence is used to solve conflict in two main scenes. One where Penny and Anne Marie are fighting at the party and the other where Drew and his friends start a fight with Matt. Parents may want to talk with their child about other way these situations could have been approached and resolved, and maybe why they came about. What was really happening to provoke these two situations?

There are definite sexist remarks made and underlying themes portrayed about the girl surfers not being on the same level as the male surfers. Girls need "balls' to get out there and surf. "Stop being such a Barbie" "That's my bitch" Even though this is true the female characters are all portrayed as being very strong women who don't take any 'shit'.

There are strong bonds of friendship and family shown between Anne Marie, Eden, Lena and Penny. Though they have their problems with one another when it comes to the crunch they are all very supportive of one another. They are very loyal to each other.

There is reference made to ripping of people with money. When Anne Marie is given $1000 dollars to give surf lessons to Matt, Eden makes a comment about him "begging to be ripped off".

Anne Marie meets Matt and chooses to have sex with him on their second date. Parents / caregivers may want to think about whether they think this behaviour is acceptable or not. It may be something they want to discuss with their teenager/s.

There are no real consequences shown for Penny not going to school and drinking and smoking. The issue is not really dealt with and is left unresolved.

Overall comments

This is definitely a movie for teenagers 12 years and above. The storyline and themes of the movie are not for younger children, and would be best enjoyed and understood by teenagers. I think that many young people would be able to relate to the issues and themes raised in the movie. I don't think that many adults would enjoy the movie the same way that a teenager might. Teenagers are definitely the intended audience of this movie, the movie has been written without excessive swearing or sex, and the storyline is very simple and easy to follow. Parents may wish to discuss some of the issues raised in the movie if they are of concern to them. A younger child could watch this movie with parental guidance, but it is not highly recommended as a children's movie.