The Surface (2014)

Guy takes boat out on lake, guy rescues other guy from plane crash, an hour of the most mind numbingly boring conversation I have ever heard, plane crash guy eventually gets rescued. I never even cared enough to learn their names. No conflict, no excitement, no imminent danger, no solutions to problems, no real plot. Every opportunity for something exciting to happen was handled in the most boring way possible. Plane crashed? mildly bad weather, pilot error. Plane crash guy threatens to stab boat guy? they're all buddy buddy swapping stories 5 minutes later. Mystery backpack? can't open it. "Bad guys" trying to get backpack? they stop by and pick it up without a word. Boat damaged and sinking? just lazily paddle for a bit before giving up and ignoring the rising water. Plane crash guy experiencing medical issues? cell phone conveniently gets signal now.Maybe I'm missing the point of this movie but it's not a thriller and barely a drama. The cover is misleading because there was never any rain or waves or even a hint of bad weather. I was hoping plane crash guy would just die from his injuries and boat guy would follow through with this suicide so the movie would end.

Being an older person, I remember when serious acting was still the expectation of good movies, before special effects were given the priorities. This film is a very good and believable study of how two very different men might be brought together in very fantastically different circumstances. The fact that in the ending credits the note is made that the events of the film are based on actual happenings does much to explain and reinforce some of my personal beliefs about "pre-destination" and possibly "Divine" intervention. The main actors did an excellent job, considering the limitations of being pretty much a two actor film for most of the movie, and how the chance meeting of the two would change their lives forever.I strongly suggest you might overlook some of the films negative ratings and see it for the very good film it is.

This is an important story to watch...very moving. Sadness and loneliness and depression are everyday issues in our society, and we should learn from this movie and try to better ourselves in our everyday real life.This movie leads to great discussion points, and challenges us to react, think, and do better.A very moving introspective story.The Surface just tease us to get to the surface of very important emotional issues that are everyday. The lead characters, including Sean do a great acting job here and should be complemented in telling this sad story!

Greetings again from the darkness. Survival movies come in many shapes and styles. There are classy ones like All is Lost (with Robert Redford) and Life of Pi (Academy Award nominee). There are thrilling ones like The Edge (with Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins). And of course there are the kinda trashy ones that usually feature beautiful and clueless people stuck on an island somewhere like in Turistas (with Josh Duhamel).What we rarely see are survival movies that just don't have much going on. Open Water is about the closest to this latest from director Gil Cates, Jr and writer Jeff Gendelman, but at least that one offered the constant threat of a shark attack.Sad sack Mitch (Sean Astin) visits his Alzheimer's-stricken mom in the nursing home before heading out to the middle of Lake Michigan in what he plans as his final voyage in life. At the most inopportune time – given his goal – it's his boat that is rendered lifeless thanks to the scattered pieces of a plane crash. Mitch drags the survivor (Chris Mulkey) aboard and the two fellows proceed to prove that their philosophizing and reminiscing are no match for the conversational skills of a boy and his tiger (Life of Pi).Flashbacks are the key to us understanding the reasons these two crossed paths in such an unusual manner. We see Mitch's guilt and inability to be a worthy partner in a relationship, and we see pilot Kelly's desperation in trying to making ends meet for his family and regaining his confidence as a man.There are a couple of funny "guy" moments (the poet comment made me laugh), yet somehow the conversation of these two men in a life-threatening situation pales in comparison to the exchanges of two gents over a meal in My Dinner with Andre. Where is the danger? Where is the stress? Where is the soul-searching? It's unfortunate that the extended periods of two guys in a boat just don't have much to offer for the 86 minute run time, because the stage was set for much more than melodrama.