COOL VS “COOL” : SURFER, DUDE.

This is “a clash of the cools”. The California surfing scene may never see another clash of the titans such as this one!
California is ablaze because the surfing phenomenon Steve Addington (Matthew McCounaghy) is back in town. He is the epitome of cool : ultra laid-back, mostly high and nearly always broke, the latter much to the distress of his manager Jacky (Woody Harrelsson). To be fair Jacky’s fears are easily quelled by a few puffs on a joint, and his “lawn mowing business” is doing well, but as far as being a “major asset” is concerned, Steve is not doing well… Then one day, things get rather “uncool” in the surfing world. Steve’s contract is handed over to one an ex-surfer and new entrepreneur. And his plan for Steve is to get him to live in a “Big Brother” type house for surfers where he will be filmed 24 / 7 and participate in tests to have is avatar created for his new surfing video game. Steve “has no problem going to shake a surfer’s hand” but wants none of the rest of it. His new boss responds by refusing to give him any money until he complies and starts circulating “uncool” rumors about him. This would not really have bothered Steve, unless California was going through the longest “waveless spell” in recorded history…
Unable to surf (and thus with his mind deteriorating) or do anything else ( for lack of funds) and with his manager in jail (another pressure tactic from ) Steve is faced with a tough decision: Sticking to old-school cool or complying with modern times….
Surfer dude is an understated yet hilarious comedy making fun of all the surfing / sports movie clichés while deep down under the hilarity, presenting us with the very real battle of old-school versus “high-tech new school” . It may at first glance look very much like yet another sporting spoof but really, I couldn’t wipe the smile of my face from the beginning to the end of this one… Just be cool and give it a shot…