Surfer, Dude (2008)

Gotta say I really liked it. A man trying to live his life on his own terms and holding strong to his unique kind of integrity. I guess our hero is kinda the last hippie. His life is totally opposite the lives of most of us. He surfs, and never works. Thing is, he is so cool that others find ways to make money off his adventures and his athletic prowess. He doesn't care, he just wants to surf. Finally the forces of commercialism and responsibility begin to close in. Ironically, this occurs at a time when the ocean stops making waves. Surfer Dudes world begins to crash down but he refuses to surrender.This film reminded me of the Camus novel called the Stranger. If one refuses to conform or simply doesn't get conformity...prepare for a lot of love/hate relationships with others. Society can take only so much individual freedom before it eats its own. This isn't a great movie but its a very good one for people who sometimes wonder wtf its all about anyhow. This is more like a good novel than a Hollywood movie. Twelve year olds and people with that mentality have no chance of understanding or enjoying.

I rarely do this, and I either feel vindicated or embarrassed doing it, but I went into Surfer, Dude prepared to not like it at all. Matter of fact, I rented the movie (from my library on a 25 cent charge) with the intent to have a good laugh at it, and maybe get in with my wife on a Mystery Science Theater 3000 style poke-and-jab job. As it turned out, by the near of the end of its slim 82 minute running time, we felt the same way: it's not hate-worthy. It's simply too filled with well-intentions to simply stomp and kick the crap out of. While one can argue a lot of misplaced ego-trips go that way (i.e. M. Night Shyamalan) I didn't really sense hubris or too much faulty technical craft going on.It's simply what it appears to be: a bunch of surfer dudes, and I include in that group the filmmakers and McConaughey, got together after many years of prep (you read that right, many years, like seven according to the DVD making-of) and made a movie for themselves, and the California surfer community. Indeed there's been a minor cult that has risen in California around the movie; screenings spring up with masses of dirty and stoned surfers trudging into the theater ready to soak up the waves. At least, that's my assumption having never been to the California surfing community nor a surfer's cult movie screening. I can't help but wonder if it was for the 'plot' or the 'comedy'.So why isn't the movie hateful? For one thing, for all of his incessant I-don't-need-to-wear-a-shirt-ness, McConaughey is a likable guy as Steve, a guy who has a craving for a wave, all the time, every time it's possible. There is not much conflict to speak of except this: either Steve rides the wave, or he doesn't, and for much of Surfer, Dude he actually doesn't ride waves but rather try and fend off a corporate leech that wants to sign him up for a reality TV show gig. That's basically the whole movie. Oh, and Willie Nelson shows up as a goat farmer who smokes lots of doobs (of course), and Woody Harrelson pops up from time to time as a, uh, manager of sorts who smokes a lot of doobs (of course) and is sometimes hard to differentiate from McConaughey if not for the shirt situation and, uh, other actors like Jack's father on Lost.Here's what it comes down to: there are plenty of totally cringe-worthy moments, scenes where laughs are attempted and fall flat, and some lazy cinematography and music and a story that is so easy to read through you know who every character is and what their destination will be within ten seconds of seeing him or her (and that goes for miss wannabe Baywatch star too). And yet, it's also a laid back movie for a niche crowd that doesn't try to please to audiences that aren't meant for it. Maybe I wasn't meant for it either, and I do like some of these actors and comedies with stoners and surfing and waves and uh virtual reality plots hatched by... oh what the hell, it's a retarded puppy of modern movies. It may be stupid, but it's still a puppy!

I recently had the chance to see this movie, and I don't understand why so many people hate it. I don't think that this film was intended to be a deep think-piece. The people who have come on here complaining about the film seem to have missed the message, which is a shame, because they are the ones who could have benefited from the films laid back messages the most. Addington lives a perfect, untainted existence. He is free of all of the stress and flakiness (for lack of a better word) that permeates modern American life and culture. This movie helped me realize that relaxing and enjoying the things that bring joy to my life are equally, if not more important, than participating in the gigantic rat race that has come to dominate all aspects of modern day life. I admire this movie and its simplistic message, and to those who felt this movie was a waste of time, I would recommend relaxing and appreciating the stress free atmosphere that is present throughout the film.

The abortion of thought that went into this film will shock and astonish you. For Mathew McConaughey, studying a role requires little more than his imagination. Rather than given an insightful view of a surfer's life, the audience is simply subjected to an hour and a half of what McConaughey THINKS is a lifestyle that everyone will fall in love with.Surfer Dude lacks all logic and structure. There is not enough substance here for a full movie, and yet, somehow, they managed to record SOMETHING for 85 minutes. The level of contempt McConaughey has shown for his audience is appalling.The movie starts out giving you the gut feeling that they are faking it, that they are some how cheesing it up to make fun of a horrible stereotype. Very quickly you find out that they are absolutely serious, and like a child finding out Santa isn't real, all hopes for a decent movie are lost.About half way through the film, the faint whispers of a plot start to shine through like sunlight in deep water, then the big dark rain cloud that is McConaughey moves in. Isn't there a definition for what a movie is? Simply recording onto 85 minutes of film does not constitute "movie." We're trying to have a civilization here Mathew! From this point on, I am avoiding all McConaughey movies. I will no longer waste my life on truly horrendous trash like Surfer Dude. On my death bed, I will say, "I wish I never saw surfer dude with Mathew McConaughey." and my kids and grand kids will all say "Who's Mathew McConaughey?"