Rated PG for mild language and some rude humor.
Directed by Ash Brannon (Toy Story 2) and Chris Buck (Tarzan, The Legend of Tarzan-TV)
Staring Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, James Woods, Diedrich Bader
Every once in a while a film comes along that surprises me with something new and unique—I never expected it out of a “penguin” film.
Yes, call me Eeyore, but I think there have been some pretty lame penguin films lately. Don’t blend Surf’s Up in with those boring ones. This film trumps them all. Surf’s Up replaces the other penguin films’ hidden agendas and preachy social commentary with consistent doses of humor and an intriguing storyline. Not a bad trade. Plus, most of the girls leaving the theatre said that these penguins are a lot cuter. The interviews of the little kid penguins are especially cute. (That’s important to girls, you know.)
The story follows young surfer Cody (LaBeouf) as he strives to win a surfing competition in honor of his hero “Z,” a surfing legend. Cody’s training (with some very Karate Kideseque “wax on” training moments) delivers more than he bargained for, teaching him a bounty of knowledge about not only surfing, but life and relationships. The story serves a delicious dish of “humor” with a healthy side of “heart.”
I must voice a caution to parents: remember, just because it’s a cartoon, it doesn’t mean it’s a kids’ film. This is especially true in recent years. Parents of young kids will want to read my warnings at the bottom of this review.
But unlike some films, Surf’s Up didn’t rely on crassness or gross-out humor to carry it. The film was built on the foundation of a hilarious screenplay. I was laughing throughout. There’s no shortage of fun characters, from the chicken sidekick, to quick obscure moments like a short interview with a fire urchin that was just stepped on. There’s no question: Surf’s Up will make you laugh from beginning to end.
Although the film is almost homage to surf documentaries of yesteryear, it maintains a very current feel with elements of a modern reality show. Very funny stuff.
You won’t be able to ignore the voice talents. The cast featured seasoned talent like Jeff Bridges (who almost revived his “The Dude” role from The Big Lebowski), James Woods, Shia LaBeouf, and Napoleon Dynamite’s Jon Heder. But don’t discount the other voices. Even if you don’t recognize their names when the credits roll, you’ll applaud the performance of guys like Diedrich Bader (Rex of “Rex Kwon Do” from Napoleon Dynamite) for his hilarious delivery of penguin super surfer “Tank.”
Surfers will love this film for its surfing content alone. The animation is fantastic and the surf sequences turned out especially well.
If all these elements weren’t enough, the film iced the cake with great music.
You’ll definitely find Surf’s Up on my DVD shelf when it’s released.
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT:
Not for young kids at all. Throw it in the same category as Shrek. It uses frequent PG language like crap, and provides plenty of poop and pee jokes. In one scene a penguin urinates on another penguin (off camera), a known cure when someone steps on an urchin. A couple times the film crawls pretty close to the line: at one point a penguin calls another penguin peckerface, and within minutes another penguin starts to say that something tastes like sh…. but the scene changes before the word is finished.
Surf’s Up also tosses out a few risqué jokes, but most of those inferences will go over the heads of the young ones.
Use your discernment. I’ll say it again. Today’s cartoons aren’t always for kids.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
