It’s no secret that surfing is unpredictable, relying on the vagaries of nature as much as it does any individual’s skill. But you know what you’ll get from a surf movie.
They’re packed with learning curves, solid friendships and star-crossed lovers, pro surfer cameos, and rollicking soundtracks. The formula works, having built cult followings that pine for its for its signature mix of nostalgic comfort and adrenaline rush. To celebrate the 35th anniversary of one such heralded project, Point Break, we’re taking a look back through the canon to identify the best surf flicks ever to catch a wave.
The Endless Summer (1966)
In perhaps the most defining surf film of all time, Mike Hynson and Robert August, a pair of California natives, travel around the world in pursuit of the perfect wave. The footage is accompanied by the Sandals’ surf rock score as well as hilarious live narration by Bruce Brown, the director, cinematographer, producer, and editor of the timeless doc—credited with helping bring the sport to the mainstream.
Five Summer Stories (1972)
Five Summer Stories is a time capsule of the ’70s surf scene set to the sounds of Beach Boy classics and B-sides. The third and final surf film from filmmaking duo Jim Freeman and Greg MacGillivray more than fulfills the unspoken mandatory quota of surf legend cameos, with appearances from the likes of David Nuuhiwa, Gerry Lopez, and Eddie Aikau.
Big Wednesday (1978)
Loosely based on the lives of writers John Milius and Dennis Aaberg, Big Wednesday tells the story of three friends, Matt, Jack, and Leroy, growing up in Southern California in the ’60s. As the sport evolved from graceful longboarders to flashy shortboard shredders, so too must this gang navigate a bumpy transition into adulthood, doing everything possible to avoid the draft into the Vietnam War. The wise Bear, played by Sam Melville, encapsulates the bittersweet coming-of-age film in three stinging words: “Nobody surfs forever.”
North Shore (1987)
A cult-classic whose dialogue became a staple of surfer lexicon, North Shore tells the archetypal story of an amateur surfer attempting to make it to the big leagues. Rick Kane, an unlikely wave-rider from Arizona graduates high school before booking it to the titular North Shore of O’ahu. He’s quickly humbled by the Pacific Ocean and Da Hui, a group of local surfers that he inadvertently antagonizes. Locals Turtle, Chandler, and Kiani step in to help prepare him to face Lance Burkhart (played by real-life pro surfer Laird Hamilton), offering him a tidbit of sage surf wisdom that would be repeated for years to come: “When the waves break here, you don’t want to be there.”
Point Break (1991)
It’s been 35 years since the release of Point Break (and Keanu Reeves’s iconic shout of “Vaya con Dios!”). The endlessly quotable film follows former quarterback and rookie F.B.I. agent Johnny Utah (Reeves) as he works with his partner, Angelo Pappas, played by Gary Busey, to unmask an elusive team of bank robbers known as the Ex-Presidents. To the amusement of the other agents, Pappas has a theory about the tanned thieves: “The fucking punks are surfers.” Utah tests this theory by going undercover as a SoCal surfer, earning the trust of Bodhi (Patrick Swayze) and making surf movie history in the meantime.
Point Break is back in theaters nationwide on Aug. 16 and 19 for its 35th anniversary.
A Scene at the Sea (1991)
A heartwarming drama set in a Japanese coastal town, A Scene at the Sea follows Shingeru, who finds a discarded surfboard in the trash while working as a garbage collector and devotes himself to the sport. Takeshi Kitano’s cult film is almost entirely devoid of dialogue as Shingeru and his girlfriend Takako are both deaf. In the place of spoken conversation is a peaceful soundscape filled with ambient sounds of waves and composer Joe Hisaishi’s dreamy soundtrack.
Blue Crush (2002)
Based on a magazine article written by Susan Orlean in the late ’90s, Blue Crush is an ode to the surfer girl. It stars Kate Bosworth as Anne Marie, who works with friends at a hotel to support herself and her sister. When the opportunity to win a life-changing surf contest presents itself, she has to put aside her hesitation around the sport and drops into the legendary barrels of Hawaii’s North Shore. The sun-soaked drama hits the trifecta of surf movie clichés: Anne Marie is bolstered by her friends, pressured by local antagonists, and engrossed in an unlikely love story.
Surf’s Up (2007)
Surf’s Up is the kind of movie you mindlessly put on for your kids and end up glued in front of. The animated mockumentary centers around Cody, a northern rockhopper penguin voiced by Shia LaBeouf. After leaving home to surf in a competition memorializing his idol, Big Z, he meets Chicken Joe, falls for a penguin named Lani, and uncovers sacred surf secrets, all to a stacked soundtrack featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill and 311. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll wonder why Big Z sounds like the Big Lebowski.
Soul Surfer (2011)
An adaptation of Bethany Hamilton’s autobiography, written in collaboration with Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh, Soul Surfer recounts the competitive surfer’s adolescence and the harrowing loss of her left arm in a shark attack. The film stars AnnaSophia Robb as Hamilton, and proved an instant success due in no small part to the surfer’s real-life return to the ocean and dogged pursuit of the sport she loves.
Chasing Mavericks (2012)
Chasing Mavericks charts the short but intense life of Jay Moriarity. The Santa Cruz native was only 16 when he dropped into Mavericks, a massive swell in Half Moon Bay, California. His attempt at the 50-foot-wave, which has since been deemed the “Iron Cross” wipeout, brought him to notoriety in news headlines and on magazine covers. Following Moriarity and his mentor, Frosty, the film is a testament to their dynamic and to Moriarity’s legacy on the surf world. He died at the age of 22 in 2001.
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