This movie had a very dramatic storyline. There IS surfing and a awesome indie rock soundtrack, but it also a story on a teen's search of her place in life after her father died saving her. Nicole (Aimee Teegarden) goes through a soul-searching trip(after finding her grandpa's 1960's van) along with a co-worker of her Grandma's (Patricia Richardson)surf shop, and 2 guys whom (at times)did not seem to go along too well. A must-watch movie if you are in great family dramas, or the environment (seaturtles clearly are apart of the movie.) And in the end of this flick,you'll feel better about life and the environment.
10 Reviews
A long boring movie that seemed to be about surfing, but not much of that took place. Not made for me though. I say C
cosmo_tiger4 May 2012
"Life's a lot easier if you let go of whatever is holding you back." Nicole (Teegarden) is sent by her mom to Santa Cruz for the summer to live with her grandmother. At first she resents the fact that she has to go but soon changes her mind after meeting new friends...and the sport of surfing. After watching "Soul Surfer" I was actually more excited to see this then I normally would have been. I knew it wasn't going to be like that but I wasn't looking forward to "Soul Surfer" the first time either and that surprised me with how good it was. After 20 minutes I realized how wrong I was in my expectations. For those that have seen the movie "Surfer, Dude" this is more comparable to that one then this one. No real plot to speak of, or really surfing for that matter. Again though I know this movie is not made for me so I may be being to hard on it but to me this was boring and seemed to have no point. Although if I was a teenage girl I may feel different about it. Overall, a movie that I thought was boring but also it wasn't made for me. I say C.
Couldn't tell you, I was too confused!
brittanybug7 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was very predictable and confusing. I did not enjoy this movie as much as everybody else because it jumped too much for me to follow. We thought it was a flashback but then in the end was just present day happening somewhere else. Yes it held a good message but it required too much thinking and concentration to figure out that message. The editing of this movie was absolutely horrible. Nobody noticed that a person fell off the dock while the grandmother was staring off into the sunset. That was probably the most enjoyable part of the movie...well that and the soldier in Mexico! My friend and I laughed and watched the sunset scene too many times to count just because it was sooo funny!
Slow, Without Much Direction
athompsonblue14 January 2021
Too slow-paced for me. And it's like the movie couldn't decide if it was about this girl coming out of her shell and overcoming her dad's drowning, or about these teenagers surviving a perilous road trip. And I don't get why they would put up with this drug-using, irresponsible jerk.
Road trip with a conscience
irene-366-2964699 May 2012
This is a movie with a slow build - made for teenagers without any gratuitous violence or sex - unusual for that alone. But, add in the fantastic soundtrack and setting and this becomes an indie gem. The audience is assumed to be intelligent, not needing to have every little bit of plot nuance or character trait spelt out to them and as a result, the characters evolve gradually and by the end of the movie we are left feeling just a little bit more positive about human nature and wishing that we could embark on a trip in a beaten up camper ourselves. The universal themes of love, attraction, loss and acceptance are intertwined with the more specific environmental issues, but you never feel preached at - just very chilled out. It would be good to see more movies made at this pace - more art-house than blockbuster but none the worse for that.
Beautiful Wave is beautiful enough
jordondave-2808530 April 2023
(2011) Beautiful Wave
DRAMA/ ADVENTURE
What can I say, I'm a sucker for 'road trip surfing' movies which this set up can be similar to "Blue Crush 2", another movie not liked by the masses, but I still kind of liked it because of it's 'uniqueness' despite secondary acting. Directed by David Mueller who also provided the story along with Lynn Salt, stars Aimee Teegarden as Nicole asked to move in with her mother's estranged grandmother who happens to own a store, selling surfing boards. Although Nicole is a great swimmer, she still has a fear of the ocean water, which is why she reads a lot during her spare time, but she somehow inherits this old van anyway, for it may be a sign that she yearns for adventure. Now, I just want to say that the first 30 minutes of this is a little blatant, perhaps somewhat convoluted and that the chemistry don't seem 'relatable' until they (2 guys and 2 girls to be exact) go on a road trip to search for a particular beach where Nicole's grandfather used to surf, which is supposed to be on some undisclosed location somewhere in Mexico. She decides to go there, after discovering a drawn out map, secretly located in the van. And until they go on that road trip, the relatable chemistry I'm referring about are the harmless verbal squabbles, which 'we' as people often do not see in many 'road trip' movies, because we had all done it, such as which direction to drive or whose paying for what, and on what conditions. Pointing out that if someone is tagging along with someone else, that rules would have been made which is no different with any house you live in. It's all very relative and expected, that without those familiar squabbles, would make those other road trip movies very boring. And finally, I hate drama movies where it always have to end in a big hug. Here is a movie which would not stoop to that kind of level, since a persons actions should be judged for what they do in the future and in most cases, a hug doesn't solve anything. My rating might've been higher had the 30 minute set up be much tighter.
What can I say, I'm a sucker for 'road trip surfing' movies which this set up can be similar to "Blue Crush 2", another movie not liked by the masses, but I still kind of liked it because of it's 'uniqueness' despite secondary acting. Directed by David Mueller who also provided the story along with Lynn Salt, stars Aimee Teegarden as Nicole asked to move in with her mother's estranged grandmother who happens to own a store, selling surfing boards. Although Nicole is a great swimmer, she still has a fear of the ocean water, which is why she reads a lot during her spare time, but she somehow inherits this old van anyway, for it may be a sign that she yearns for adventure. Now, I just want to say that the first 30 minutes of this is a little blatant, perhaps somewhat convoluted and that the chemistry don't seem 'relatable' until they (2 guys and 2 girls to be exact) go on a road trip to search for a particular beach where Nicole's grandfather used to surf, which is supposed to be on some undisclosed location somewhere in Mexico. She decides to go there, after discovering a drawn out map, secretly located in the van. And until they go on that road trip, the relatable chemistry I'm referring about are the harmless verbal squabbles, which 'we' as people often do not see in many 'road trip' movies, because we had all done it, such as which direction to drive or whose paying for what, and on what conditions. Pointing out that if someone is tagging along with someone else, that rules would have been made which is no different with any house you live in. It's all very relative and expected, that without those familiar squabbles, would make those other road trip movies very boring. And finally, I hate drama movies where it always have to end in a big hug. Here is a movie which would not stoop to that kind of level, since a persons actions should be judged for what they do in the future and in most cases, a hug doesn't solve anything. My rating might've been higher had the 30 minute set up be much tighter.
Wonderful Story
m-buggy30 March 2012
This is a beautiful, peaceful movie which speaks to the heart. I'm surprised it has gone unnoticed and the ratings do it absolutely no justice. Beautiful scenery, great soundtrack, and a simple yet engaging story about a cute, quiet girl from New York who learns to see life from a new perspective as she uncovers her families past.
Story: A young girl Nikki who never leaves her room, constantly reading books and shutting herself off from the outside world, is sent to her Grandmother for the summer, who owns a surf shop in California. As she discovers more about the families past, and embarks on a road trip to Mexico, things start to change.
The character development seems to move too fast at the start, but everything falls perfectly into place as the movie continues.
Warning: not a typical movie about blonde babes and surfing.
Story: A young girl Nikki who never leaves her room, constantly reading books and shutting herself off from the outside world, is sent to her Grandmother for the summer, who owns a surf shop in California. As she discovers more about the families past, and embarks on a road trip to Mexico, things start to change.
The character development seems to move too fast at the start, but everything falls perfectly into place as the movie continues.
Warning: not a typical movie about blonde babes and surfing.
good movie
jewelch18 February 2021
Loved the surfing scenes and the burgeoning romance between the young couple. Also a great line by the grandfather about needing to look deeply enough in the enemies eyes until you can see yourself and then you can talk to them. Good movie James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 2/18/2021
Not a film for the boys!
janedo45624 May 2012
Saw this on Sky Premiere when it was on. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. The film is slow going to start with and there's no way around that - too many montages and too little dialogue, not enough pace - but, there's enough there to keep you in and by the end of the film there's a sweet emotional pay off. Nicely shot, good soundtrack of bands and a gentle almost old fashioned score. The film just sort of rolls over you.
I noticed that a lot of the negative reviews have come from guys which just goes to show that it's a chick flick! Cute boys and a teenage girl (who doesn't get even remotely naked - sorry) on a journey of self discovery... Yep - a film for girls. And, actually, I'm not even certain that this is a film for teenage girls as there's something very nostalgic about the ending of the movie. It's a movie for women... Could double with The Private Lives of Pippa Lee or How To Make An American Quilt... The cast are all watchable and Lance Henriksen is fabulous as Jimmy. One for a rainy Sunday afternoon definitely!
I noticed that a lot of the negative reviews have come from guys which just goes to show that it's a chick flick! Cute boys and a teenage girl (who doesn't get even remotely naked - sorry) on a journey of self discovery... Yep - a film for girls. And, actually, I'm not even certain that this is a film for teenage girls as there's something very nostalgic about the ending of the movie. It's a movie for women... Could double with The Private Lives of Pippa Lee or How To Make An American Quilt... The cast are all watchable and Lance Henriksen is fabulous as Jimmy. One for a rainy Sunday afternoon definitely!
Great views of beautiful places.
Sueso20 June 2019
Nice storyline, one my grandchildren can watch! Good veteran actors and young ones did well too. Wonderful photography! I enjoyed it very much! I liked the bit of mystery and a bit of a look back to the sixties. Thank you for showing Hallmark movies Now!
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