I Saw A Film!

A sprawling modern beach movie throw-back featuring surf-punks, a variation on Gidget (called Gish for girl-fish), and Sonny Bono. Plenty of allusions to wrong side of the tracks love fill out the scene.

The Beats make a minor appearance, for some reason surfer Romeo is a Kerouac devotee, as he chats with his Juliet. Though the story isn’t really as wild and beautiful as an On the road or Desolation Angels. Dick Miller makes an appearance as a surfing coach/judge. There’s also plenty of hilarious surfer lingo to hang your hat on. We had no idea how rough life was in Southern California beach communities. I really feel for the surfing youth, as they try to run one another over with an Isuzu Impulse and keep the beach for the “locs”. Meanwhile there’s a career hanging on the results of a surfing event, that couldn’t be harder to be invested in. The only thing worse than watching an arm-wrestling movie, or mechanical bull-riding is watching people surf.

Of course the finale comes down to the pro and the antagonist in a surf-off and you’re meant to be feeling something, but it’s mostly going to be, heck wasn’t that Danielle Von Zerneck a cutie.

Free on Prime! Sadly it lacks a proper Erich Von Zipper, or a Dick Dale to spice things up with his earring and gold decorated Fender guitar.