Surf School

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TheMovieSearch R @TheMovieSearch Jul 24 Surf School (2006) is one of those cinematic catastrophes that manages to fail on every conceivable level — writing, acting, direction, tone, pacing, you name it. It’s a film so aggressively unfunny that it almost feels like a parody of itself, except it’s not clever enough to be self-aware. The setup sounds like something out of a bad early-2000s teen comedy (and unfortunately, it is one): a group of social outcasts get the chance to prove themselves by learning how to surf in Costa Rica before the “cool kids” arrive. It could have been a fun underdog story or even a harmless summer romp. Instead, it’s an incoherent, low-budget disaster filled with cheap jokes, unnecessary nudity, and some of the most awkward acting you’ll ever see. The humor is so painfully forced that it becomes exhausting. Every single line feels like it’s trying too hard to be outrageous, but lands somewhere between confusing and embarrassing. The movie leans heavily on sexual innuendos, stoner humor, and slapstick gags that don’t even register as remotely amusing. It’s the kind of comedy that makes you check how much longer is left — only to realize you’re barely 30 minutes in. The direction feels nonexistent. Scenes are cut together like random YouTube clips stitched into a timeline. The cinematography looks like someone shot it with a camcorder from a spring break trip. Even the surfing sequences — which should be the one redeeming factor — are edited so poorly that you can’t even appreciate what little effort might have gone into them. And then there’s the cast. “Disastrous” doesn’t even begin to cover it. Not a single actor seems committed to the material, and honestly, who could blame them? The performances range from “overly exaggerated” to “completely asleep.” Every character is a walking stereotype: the dumb jock, the nerdy virgin, the over-sexualized girl, the burnout mentor — all played with zero nuance and even less charisma. It’s almost impressive how bad the ensemble chemistry is; they feel like strangers forced to share a hotel room for a week. If there’s one thing to say about Surf School, it’s that it perfectly embodies mid-2000s straight-to-DVD comedy culture — the kind of film that might’ve seemed funny to someone during a 3 a.m. cable marathon after too many drinks. Watching it sober, however, is an entirely different story. Surf School is the cinematic equivalent of a sunburn that just won’t go away. It’s lazy, crass, and utterly devoid of entertainment value. Unless you’re watching ironically, or you’re looking for a new “so bad it’s good” drinking game, there’s absolutely no reason to ever hit play. Even for fans of lowbrow comedy — this one wipes out hard. See more 10/21/2011 1.5/5 stars. Not enough nudity to save this movie. See more 09/02/2011 DIS VID RELLY HELP MAH LERN HOWS TO SERF. i LIVS EN DA AUSTRLAIA SO I CEN SERF NAW. dAS WAT UP! See more 06/30/2011 (* 1/2): Thumbs Down See more 03/02/2011 it's a comedy film of all time. See more 02/26/2011 This actually could have been a good movie. Ya know, if anyone could act... or there was a plot... or they had hired an actual producer, rather than someone's kid brother. And the most annoying thing about this movie is the music, if you can really even call it that. I felt like I was watching a spoof, except it wasn't intended to be. There are two or three mildly entertaining scenes, but for the most part this isn't worth sitting through. See more Read all reviews

Surf School

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