Written by Caleb Rummel
“Soul Surfer” is the latest inspirational, based-on-a-true-story film to hit the theaters and take a chance at pulling your heartstrings.
The movie follows young Bethany Hamilton, who is working her way into the amateur surfing circuit with her best friend, Alana. The two girls, companions since childhood, receive sponsorships from a major surfing company and decide to focus more on their surfing. One routine day of surfing, Bethany loses her left arm to a shark attack.
Although she survives, her arm is gone just below the shoulder.The remainder of the movie chronicles her recovery and her struggle to get back into the competitive surfing world.
Setting aside any issue of accuracy to the events on which the movie is based, the story is an inspiring one. To watch a young girl go through such a tragedy and keep her composure and her faith would lift anyone up.
On that note, few scenes of the movie end on a downward note. Every moment with conflict is quickly resolved, which gives the movie a cheesy feel.
An interesting theme in the movie, which others may find add to the cheese-factor, was the family’s display of its Christian faith. The Hamiltons are depicted as churchgoers and quote Scripture to each other several times throughout the movie. Bethany’s involvement in her youth group, with Carrie Underwood playing the youth group leader, is something many from a religious background could identify with.
Inspirational story and similar faith aside, the moviewas not one of overall quality. The writing was subpar, and the actors were a bunch of now C-list actors, at best. Dennis Quaid’s performance was another classic, middle-aged dad role for him, and Helen Hunt opposite him was just as mediocre. The next top-billed performer, Carrie Underwood, is only making her second acting attempt, her first being a cameo in the TV sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” The lead, Anna Sophia Robb, gave a performance that is less than a progression from her previous performances like Violet Beauregarde in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” or Sara, the lead girl in “Race to Witch Mountain.”
While I would not stop anyone from going to this movie, I would not recommend it either. The true story of Bethany Hamilton aligns with the movie. Learning about the truth is just as inspiring because it is not written around a conference table. What I can recommend is that you get online and search for the story of Bethany Hamilton, what happened to her, how she coped and what she is doing now.
