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Soul Surfer

The inspiring true story of surfer girl Bethany Hamilton's courage and faith after a shark attack.
 
Soul Surfer
our rating
3 Stars - Good
Average Rating
 
(39 user ratings)ADD YOURSHelp
mpaa rating
PG (for an intense accident sequence and some thematic material)
Directed By
Sean McNamara
Run Time
1 hour 46 minutes
Cast
AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Lorraine Nicholson
Theatre Release
April 08, 2011 by Sony Pictures

Bethany Hamilton has a story worth telling. Born and raised on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany was a natural surfer already winning competitions and securing endorsements as a pre-teen. In 2003, at the age of 13, her promising future appeared to be jeopardy when a 15-foot tiger shark bit off her left arm in a well-publicized attack. The fact that she survived—despite losing 60 percent of her blood—is a miracle; the way she has thrived ever since is astonishing and, it would seem, perfect source material for a feature film. Enter Soul Surfer, an imperfect but compelling movie that succeeds largely on the strength of Hamilton's incredible-but-true story.

Aspects of her journey have already been well documented, from the extensive media coverage of her accident, to her own biography (2004's Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family and Fighting to Get Back on the Board) and the 2007 short-film documentary Heart of a Soul Surfer. Challenged with translating so much already-familiar material for the big screen, Soul Surfer's producers wisely sought out an accomplished cast.

AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton

AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany Hamilton

AnnaSophia Robb (Race to Witch Mountain, Bridge to Terabithia) is strong in the central role, capturing both Bethany's resiliency and her vulnerability with natural charisma. Dennis Quaid (Vantage Point, The Rookie) brings plenty of heart to the role of Bethany's father, Tom, and Academy Award winner Helen Hunt (What Women Want, Pay It Forward) is a touch wan but convincing as Bethany's worried mother, Cheri. Most of the supporting cast is strong as well, including Lorraine Nicholson (Jack Nicholson's daughter) as Bethany's best friend, Alana Blanchard, TV veteran Kevin Sorbo as Alana's father and a key participant in Bethany's rescue, and Craig T. Nelson as her empathetic physician and close family friend.

The trailer for Soul Surfer emphasizes another cast member: Country music star Carrie Underwood, who plays Bethany's church youth group leader and mentor, Sarah Hill. Underwood's feature film debut has upped the buzz factor, and her photogenic features do translate well on screen. However, in a couple of key emotional scenes, Underwood fails to equal the cast around her, and her lack of acting experience detracts from the film.

Carrie Underwood as youth leader Sarah Hill

Carrie Underwood as youth leader Sarah Hill

In fairness, the film asks a lot of Underwood; the screenplay counts on Sarah to be the primary mouthpiece for the Christian faith that is integral to Bethany's story. The Hamiltons have always been frank about their beliefs, and the film, to its credit, is just as overt about exploring the role that faith played in Bethany's recovery and continues to play in her everyday life. (In the opening minutes, we see the family attending a beachside worship service, and they pray together and cling to relevant Scriptures throughout the turmoil surrounding the shark attack.)

There's another scene, more than a year after the shark attack, where Bethany joins Sarah and others on a World Vision-sponsored missions trip to Thailand, several months after the tsunami of December 2004. After seeing the devastation, meeting orphans, and connecting with a people who also had good reason to fear going back into the water, Hamilton gains additional perspective on living in the wake of tragic circumstances.


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Displaying 1–5 of 17 comments

Walt Anderson

January 23, 2012  3:56pm

Why not a "Parents Corner" entry for this one to address the previous commentor's concerns about modesty?

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Erin Hughes

January 01, 2012  10:05pm

Awesome movie. I wanted to cry throughout the whole thing! God is truly amazing and by putting our faith in Him, He will help us achieve our goals!

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Anonymous

December 19, 2011  6:58am

I could not watch this movie because of all the immodesty. It's a pretty sad when a movie like this one is labeled a "Christian movie". What happened to modesty, shamefacedness and sobriety, aren't those Christian doctrines anymore? What happened to Mat 18:7 "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!". What a twisted world is this that we live in! Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. This generation needs a John the baptist.

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Steffanie Jensen

August 08, 2011  12:12pm

The scripture is Phillipeans 4:13, "I can do all things through CHRIST which strengtheneth me." This is one of my favorite scriptures! Great movie with a great message. :)

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Anne D.

May 16, 2011  6:55pm

It is pretty bad when Christians cannot go see a wholesome movie because they do not want to be tempted by the scenes with girls in bikinis. The girls in the movie were not flaunting their bodies in any sexual manner. What would you suggest they wear while surfing? If you can't pay attention to the message Bethany Hamilton's story presents because you are too distracted by a 13 year old girl in a bikini then that is just disgusting and you need to repent. Girls should not have to cover up from head to toe just because men can't control themselves. This movie was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time and it is one of the only movies these days that has such a strong Christian message. Instead of looking at the girls' bodies why don't you try listening to what they are saying. It saddens me to hear that Christian men have a problem with this. How do you expect non-Christians to abstain from sex before marriage if you can't even control your urges at a PG rated movie?

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