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Blue Juice

1999, Movie, R, 93 mins

Blue Juice: Review

Although he's pushing thirty and gaga over girlfriend Chloe (Catherine Zeta-Jones), aging surfer JC (Sean Pertwee) is unable to resist Cornwall's oceanic roar, prompting her to consider skipping a round-the-world vacation with JC and buying a local eatery instead. Shanghaing their staid pal Terry (Peter Gunn), JC's London pals Josh (Steven McIntosh), a hotshot record producer, and ne'er-do-well Dean (Ewan McGregor) unexpectedly arrive in Cornwall and drive a further wedge between Chloe and JC. While attacking conformist Terry's plans to settle down, JC and his mates realize that they can't reignite the magic of their twenties. Strapped for cash, Dean feeds tidbits about Josh to the tabloids and brags to the media that JC will surf the Boneyard, an ocean stretch that's killed younger men. Will JC realize that his ambivalence toward Chloe earmarks him as an emotional coward like Dean? Will Terry turn his back on stability? After his treachery manifests itself, will a crestfallen Dean ride the Boneyard himself? Ramshackle as comedy and mundane as drama, this noisily energetic and splashily — literally — photographed hang-ten flick doesn't wipe out due to spectacular surfing stunts and the fun of seeing McGregor and Zeta-Jones in pre-stardom mode. It's obvious each of the mates is going to face a wet day of reckoning, but what distinguishes this oh-grow-up fable is its ability to convey the seductiveness of this dangerous water sport. You can understand JC's attraction to wave wrangling, even if you're the sort to barely dip your toe in a hot tub. --Robert Pardi