Chasing MavericksMovie Reviews

So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 44 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

OK for kids 10+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

75

Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert
Chasing Mavericks is made with more care and intelligence than many another film starting with its template might have been. It's better than most movies targeted at teens. And the cinematography of the big Mavericks scene by Oliver Euclid and Bill Pope is so frightening that you sort of understand why Frosty stays on the shore, watching Jay with binoculars. Read full review
70

The Hollywood Reporter | Michael Rechtshaffen
Chasing Mavericks manages to sufficiently overcome the obstacles with admittedly affecting results. Read full review
63

ReelViews | James Berardinelli
The reason to see Chasing Mavericks is the same reason why people flock to shore locations when a hurricane approaches: the waves. This is less effective as a bio-pic of Jay Moriarty than it is as a big screen National Geographic Special. Read full review
63

St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Joe Williams
If your inner amphibian craves a wave, you have the right kind of brain to appreciate the elemental story and scenic backdrops. But advanced mammals might smell something fishy. Read full review
50

San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle
So at the very least, audiences will come away from Chasing Mavericks with a deeper understanding of surfing and an appreciation for surfers. Read full review
50

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
Come for the surfing. Stay for the sainthood. Read full review
50

New York Post | Lou Lumenick
The surfing sequences are some of the best I've ever seen in a film, and the re-creation of Jay's climactic battle to ride El Nino-driven waves is real white-knuckle stuff...But neither Curtis Hanson ("L.A. Confidential") nor the fellow veteran director who replaced him when Hanson took ill, Michael Apted ("Gorillas in the Mist"), can do much with the hokey sequences on land. Read full review
50

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Ultimately the story of Jay Moriarity, who died tragically in a diving accident at 22, is a moving one, and he deserved a better tribute than this film. Read full review
50

Entertainment Weekly |
In attempting to honor their subject, the filmmakers also sap the life out of a potentially thrilling story. Read full review
20

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
As it turns out, the only truly interesting element about this clichéd surfer flick is that it was made by celebrated directors Michael Apted and Curtis Hanson. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Chasing Mavericks on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says OK for kids 10+ Trite but inspiring teen surf story has some sad moments.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Chasing Mavericks is based on the true story of how 16-year-old Jay Moriarty became a surfing legend by training to ride the massive Mavericks waves. There are a few brief scenes of violence -- mostly pushing, shoving, and huge waves battering a few surfers who aren't up to the task -- as well as a couple of disturbing moments: A young wife/mother suffers a stroke and dies, and a young man is shown moments before his death by drowning. This is an inspiring tale of perseverance and discipline, but (spoiler alert!) it ends in the sadness that Moriarty died at age 22 while doing what he loved: taking risks with the sea.

Families can talk about the discipline and drive that Jay calls on to commit to riding the big waves. How is he different from the other teenagers in the movie? Is he relatable?
Jay, while certainly inspirational, eventually meets a heartbreaking fate. Is it really good advice to "Live Like Jay"?
The movie is based on a true story; do you think filmmakers changed any details? Why might they do that? How could you find out what was fact and what was fiction?

The good stuff

Positive messages: Chasing Mavericks' overall messages are that with enough determination and discipline, you can accomplish anything. Jay accomplishes it by staying true to his course as a surfer, son, and student to Frosty. Even when things get hard, Jay never gives up and continues on his mission to ride the Mavericks.
Positive role models: Jay is an uncompromising, diligent, thoughtful young man who, unlike his friends, is extremely disciplined and willing to sacrifice to reach his goal -- riding the legendary Mavericks waves. (Spoiler alert: He ultimately dies while pursuing his love of surfing.) He's devoted to his mother and is a dedicated surfing student to Frosty, who requires obedience and hard work to make sure that Jay is ready. Frosty's wife is loving, encouraging, and kind. Frosty becomes the father that Jay always needed and wanted.

What to watch for

Violence: A young wife/mother has a stroke and dies. Huge waves crash down on unprepared surfers who get bloody and bruised. A young man is shown moments before his death by drowning. A young bully smashes a car mirror with a bat; a teen boy tackles a man to the ground for threatening his mother. Teens look like they're going to come to blows but manage to break off the antagonism before anyone gets hurt.
Sexy stuff: Brief kiss between married couple; one kiss between teens in love.
Language: "Oh my God," plus insults like "trash," "loser," etc.
Consumerism: Frosty drives a big Ford van, and Radio Shack is mentioned.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Jay's mom drinks a lot (he smells her drinks to confirm that there's alcohol in them and then throws them away). Teen bullies seem to be selling drugs, although it's never explicitly shown.

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