“We all come from the sea, but we are not all of the sea, those of us who are, we children of the tides must return to it again and again.”

“Chasing Mavericks” starring Jonny Weston as Jay Moriarity and Gerard Butler as Frosty Hesson makes you want to do just that, “return to the sea”. Based off a true story the sport/drama film takes place in present Santa Cruz, California.

The film starts with 8 year old Jay Moriarity standing by a cliff above the ocean, mesmerized by the waves and counting the seconds in between sets. His friend is tossing a tennis ball to her dog and accidentally throws it too far. Jay rushes and ends up saving the dog, however ends up falling into the water.

Jay is drowning when he is saved by a surfer named Frosty. Ironically Frosty and Jay find out they live a few houses down from each other. From that day forward Jay learns and grows an intense passion for surfing and an admiration for Frosty.

The film then fast forwards 7 years to a fifteen year old Jay. Jay discovers that the mystic surf break called Mavericks is real when he follows Frosty’s van. Jay becomes determined to surf Mavericks and after countless attempts of trying to convince Frosty, Frosty agrees to help train and prepare him. Throughout the journey Frosty and Jay form a unique father-son friendship. Jay also finds himself struggling to maintain a dwindling friendship and win over a girl throughout his training.

The acting in the film is well done. Jonny Weston does a phenomenal job. For the film not only did he have to take up surfing but he had to deal with both the pressure and support of all Jay Moriarity’s real friends and family, due to the movie being based off a true story.

The actors do a good job of portraying friendship. For example Jay goes out to find Frosty who had disappeared to mourn the death of his wife. Although Frosty struggles to accept her death, Jay lets him know he can count on him for anything. The actors also portray self-discovery notably. During training Jay claims he doesn’t know what he is afraid of. Frosty however makes Jay aware of his fear of opening the letter his father left him and Jay overcomes this with the help of Frosty.

I think the movie is a moving film that makes you reevaluate life. The film teaches life’s important aspects. The overall quality of the film is excellent and I think the movie portrays the real life of Jay Moriarity by capturing his love and determination. I would highly recommend this film.