“Surf’s Up” is not a wipeout. But the latest computer-animated family-oriented action comedy, a well-intentioned nod to surfing culture, doesn’t leave much in the way of entertainment value in its wake.
Experienced cartoon feature directors/co-writers Ash Brannon and Chris Buck enlist a solid voice cast and craft some wowing natural background landscapes to enrich their world of anthropomorphized fowlwho trip the waves fantastic. Regrettably, the script is neither funny nor silly enough for the kiddies, touching enough for the grown-ups nor perceptive enough about surfing to really justify the beach-bound hullabaloo.
“Surf’s Up” directly spoofs the surfing documentary and is even structured as a behind-the-scenes look at the making of such a documentary — that is, if the surfer dudes and fans were mostly penguins. As a dedicated aficionado of the surfing movie myself — especially such recent reveries of wetted bliss as “Riding with Giants” and “Step into Liquid” and the primordial classic of the genre, “Endless Summer” — I was hoping for a more clever satire of a way of life so filled with earnest eccentrics.
But today’s Sony Pictures Animation mockumentary devolves into a predictable plot rehash of the tired old sports movie replete with the “big game” climax. In this case, it is an annual memorial Surf Off on the scenic tropical island of Pen Gu.
Cody Maverick (voiced by Shia LaBeouf) is the brash young challenger, a surfing prodigy scouted out of the wilds of Shiverpool, Antarctica. The stock characters surrounding his stock main character are: the love interest Lani (Zooey Deschanel), the goofy second banana Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), the has-been mentor Big Z (Jeff Bridges) and the cruel nemesis/reigning champion whom these good guys team up to defeat.
The villainous Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader) will indeed be the main competition. But first, Cody and Big Z must defeat their own inner demons through their friendship with each other.
It’s an unoriginal narrative with little zingy dialogue to sustain it. Even hardcore actor James Woods and hilariously randy comedian Mario Cantone, both such distinctive presences in the flesh, are underutilized voices here in smaller side roles.
If “Surf’s Up,” then interest is down for another nice-looking but otherwise damp offering.
‘Surf’s Up’
2/5 stars
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel
Directors: Ash Brannon and Chris Buck
Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor
