Nothing gets between Anne Marie and her board. Living in a beach shack with three roommates including her rebellious younger sister, she is up before dawn every morning to conquer the waves and count the days until the Rip Masters surf competition. Having transplanted herself to Hawaii with no one's blessing but her own, Anne Marie finds all she needs in the adrenaline-charged surf scene ... until pro quarterback Matt Tollman comes along. Like it or not, Anne Marie starts losing her balance - and finding it - as she falls for Matt. [TRAILER]

STEVEN SNYDER'S REVIEW

For the girls of "Blue Crush," to surf is to live. It is their one reprieve from the monotony of everyday life, their one moment of exhilaration, their heaven among the waves.

By the film's final surfing competition, we appreciate their passion for the sport. It must be an intense feeling, paddling out into the ocean, jumping up on a surfboard, sliding down a wall of water and taking a spill as it crashes down from above.

"Blue Crush" could have been a film purely about the surfing experience. It could have detailed the sport, the terminology, and focused purely on one aggressive competition on the shores of Hawaii.

Thankfully, "Blue Crush" is about more than just a sport. It is a story about three friends, Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth), Eden (Michelle Rodriguez), and Lena (Sanoe Lake), their loyalty and their experiences both on and off the water. They have all given up on school, spending their days as hotel maids to pay the bills so they can keep surfing in an endless summer vacation.

Memorable about "Blue Crush" is the intensity of its surfing scenes. Initially, it is director John Stockwell's uncanny camerawork that carries the film. But later, when the sport's novelty fades, it is these characters that keep the viewer engaged. We feel like we know Anne Marie, as if we are riding these waves by her side. When she skims the surface and clears the wave standing, we are excited not for a movie character, but for a real person and her improbable accomplishment.

Most summer films fall appallingly short in the character department. "Blue Crush" finds an impressive balance between pumped-up scenes of surfing action and other moments that form the person on top of that surfboard.

For instance, Anne Marie has a younger sister, Penny (Mika Boorem), and she feels committed to providing her sis with a better life. She meets a professional football player, Matthew Davis (Matt Tollman), and they begin a foolish romance. In the process, she snubs Eden, who passionately believes Anne Marie can win an upcoming surfing competition and scolds her for throwing it all away on some impulsive fling.

Even in the climactic competition, Anne Marie does not breeze to victory, but must confront inner demons of her own. At the same location years earlier, she nearly drowned after crashing onto the corral reef beneath the surface. To win, she must overcome her own scars and inhibitions.

These details are important. They are the difference between a film that seems alive and elicits empathy and a film that people stare at numbly to pass the time.

In so many moments "Blue Crush" seems fresh and unpredictable. Anne Marie and Matthew's relationship is partly immature infatuation, and they actually realize it. Anne Marie and Eden fight, but it is a serious dispute founded in friendship. Constantly, the three friends are driven to decisions by realistic financial concerns.

Such honesty between surfing scenes establishes a credibility that goes a long way. It makes these characters well-rounded personalities and helps the viewer overlook the film's occasional flaws.

Exiting the theater, I heard an older woman say "It was boring." For her, "Blue Crush" must not have made a connection.

I enjoyed the entire experience. I felt like I knew these people, had witnessed a sweet and sincere romance, understood Eden's touching concern for her friend, laughed with the group as they threw caution to the wind and held my breath when Anne Marie disappeared beneath the waves.

Much like these surfers and their passion, "Blue Crush" is a rush I would like to experience again.

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