'

The Surfer

Play trailer

2:24

The Surfer

R

Released May 2

1h 43m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

155 Reviews

46%

Popcornmeter

250+ Verified Ratings

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is "don't live here, don't surf here." Humiliated and angry, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Nicolas Cage expertly rides the waves of toxic masculinity in this sand filled arena of torment.

Read Critics Reviews

Audience Says

While the story is too flat for most to ride, Nicolas Cage beguiles as The Surfer, and the iconic Australian backdrop makes for a stunning screensaver.

Read Audience Reviews

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

...although there should be a moral in [the plot] somewhere, the result is so risible and Cage’s performance so ridiculous that all you can do is laugh.

Rated: 2/5

May 14, 2025

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube)

Cosmic philosophizing turns into something kind of like Iron John toxic masculinity with a little Dostoevsky's The Devils... Freakingly bonkers.

May 14, 2025

Full Review

Maxwell Rabb

Chicago Reader

The film is full of recycled commentary on the dangers of hypermasculinity, but it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not—just ride the wave, and you’ll have a good time.

May 12, 2025

Full Review

Michael Nordine

Movie Brief

A sneakily ambitious meditation on everything from localism to father/son relationships and how we treat those less fortunate than us.

Jun 2, 2025

Full Review

Harris Dang

Impulse Gamer

The Surfer is sure to delight. It is an enjoyably hypnotic and morbidly funny descent into madness that provides another opportunity for Nicolas Cage to showcase his singular talents.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 1, 2025

Full Review

Erik Childress

Movie Madness Podcast

Not exactly sure a film trying to make us sorry for a millionaire who through his momentary Sullivan’s Travels-like ordeal discovers that if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em and their idealized machismo is one to embrace in these times.

Rated: 1/4

Jun 1, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Sam

I like that it was filmed in Australia but it basically took place in the same area the whole movie. It ended to quickly and the end was not good.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/20/25

Full Review

Karo B

Very boring, makes no sense of his decisions. I left before the movie was over. It’s one of the worse movies I’ve seen!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

Full Review

Rob

Nicholas Cage is brilliant as always but the movie itself I found dull and weird.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/15/25

Full Review

Sean

Good atmosphere, wish Nick Cage Caged out more though, but overall a good movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

Full Review

Ben W

Interesting.. surprisingly palatable, in a way. Not just the abductions a movie that I thought I was going to see. Definitely had its twists and psychedelic trip scenes, but subverted that quickly.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/14/25

Full Review

Mary F

This was one of the worst movies I have seen recently. I dont understand why it received such good ratings from rotten tomatoes. I based my decision on those ratings and was disappointed. This seemed to be a very low budget film and seemed very sinister.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Lorcan Finnegan

Director

Nicolas Cage

The Surfer

Julian McMahon

Scally

Nicholas Cassim

The Bum

Miranda Tapsell

The Photographer

Alexander Bertrand

Pitbull

The Surfer: Movie Clip - My Board

1:23

View more videos

The Wasp

76%

71%

The Wasp

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Wasp

He Went That Way

26%

44%

He Went That Way

Watchlist

TRAILER

for He Went That Way

Fall

79%

79%

Fall

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Fall

Into the Deep

17%

24%

Into the Deep

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Into the Deep

Sympathy for the Devil

59%

49%

Sympathy for the Devil

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Sympathy for the Devil

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Surfer: Exclusive Featurette - Eat the Rat

0:38

The Surfer: Trailer 1

2:24

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In the psychological thriller directed by Lorcan Finnegan, a man returns to the idyllic beach of his childhood to surf with his son. But his desire to hit the waves is thwarted by a group of locals whose mantra is "don't live here, don't surf here." Humiliated and angry, the man is drawn into a conflict that keeps rising in concert with the punishing heat of the summer and pushes him to his breaking point.

Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Producer: Leonora Darby, James Harris, Robert Connolly, James Grandison, Brunella Cocchiglia, Nicolas Cage, Nathan Klingher
Screenwriter: Thomas Martin
Distributor: Lionsgate / Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Arenamedia, Tea Shop Productions
Rating: R (Sexual Material|Language|Drug Content|Some Violence|Suicide)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 2, 2025, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 6, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.3M
Runtime: 1h 43m

Most Popular at Home Now