Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
CHASING MAVERICKSMovie Reviews
Drama about a 15-year-old surfer who forges a unique friendship with the man he enlists to train him to surf one of the biggest waves on earth. Cast:Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail Spencer, Taylor Handley, Scott Eastwood, Leven Rambin, Jonny Weston, Alexander Kanellakos, Channon Roe, Jenica Bergere, Mike Howard, Harley Graham, Cooper Timberline, Steven Wiig, Keegan BoosDirector:Michael Apted, Curtis HansonRelease Date:October 26, 2012DVD Release:February 26, 2013From:20th Century FoxRating:PGLength:2 hr 0 min
Chasing Mavericks played to fair reviews. • Colin Covert wrote in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "The surfing scenes are breathtaking, while the side issues of stressed-out working-class parents, teen love troubles and Nicholas Sparks-style life lessons, are ho-hum." More Reviews Below...
Mary Pols, Time: GOOD "The movie aims to be inspirational and for the most part it is... it doesn't entirely escape the cliches.... still a sweet ride worth catching."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,030 words, 10/25/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: WEAK(cg) "...cloyingly family-friendly... Every step of the way is accompanied by the plainly spelled-out reasons why it matters. Nothing is left to our imagination or interpretation."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 515 words, 10/25/12
Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "Johny Weston plays true-life surf legend Jay Moriarty as a blank-faced angel cipher.... in attempting to honor their subject, the filmmakers also sap the life out..."(See all of Darren Franich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 118 words, 10/26/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...spends too much time feeling like a watery 'Karate Kid'.... None of this rings particularly true. Or at the very least it feels embellished for the big screen."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 568 words, 10/26/12
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: VERY GOOD(cg) "...tells the 'real life' story of Jay Moriarity... made with more care and intelligence than many another film starting with its template might have been."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 10/26/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...to get to the surfing footage, it's necessary to navigate the undertow of bad acting, laughable dialogue, and predictable narrative."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 753 words, 10/26/12
we have an app for when you're out and about
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a resolutely old-school tale, by turns seductive and cornball, about a master, a young grasshopper and the Way of the Wave... emphatically upbeat."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 749 words, 10/26/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: POOR(cg) "...opens with Gerard Butler's solemn narration: 'We all come from the sea,' he intones, 'but we are not all of the sea.' Profound, dude."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 344 words, 10/26/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The killer waves are the only thing to watch... The story, and even the surfing, just don't hold water against their crushing presence or fierce beauty... at best it's a wash."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 10/26/12
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: MODERATE(cg) "The surfing sequences are some of the best I've ever seen in a film.... But neither Curtis Hanson nor Michael Apted can do much with the hokey sequences on land."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 384 words, 10/26/12
Roger Moore, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...tends toward the cute... But the mentor-student relationship works.... an entertaining dip into a world many talk about, but few have ever sampled."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 556 words, 10/26/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: WEAK(cg) "...shallow... invents minor conflicts but avoids major problems, coming off less like a biographical drama than a visit from a guest lecturer during Sunday school."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 10/26/12
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine: WEAK "...a perfect fortune cookie of a movie, full of bland life lessons for everybody; would that there were some drama or style in it somewhere along the way."(See all of Bilge Ebiri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 683 words, 10/26/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...tells the 'real life' story of Jay Moriarity... made with more care and intelligence than many another film starting with its template might have been."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 583 words, 10/26/12
Casey Burchby, Village Voice: POOR "Every time a character opens his or her mouth, out comes a red-tide torrent of gimmicky aphorisms, phony wisdom, and convenient wisecracks..."(See all of Casey Burchby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 11/07/12
Michael Posner, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "Surfer documentaries do a better job of capturing the incredible athleticism of the sport, but, as features go, this is a cut above, if only for its fidelity to the ethos."(See all of Michael Posner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 435 words, 10/26/12
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...a tsunami of schmaltzy melodrama that, at times, threatens to swamp the proceedings, which at heart are actually kind of thrilling and inspirational."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 10/26/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "The surfing scenes are breathtaking, while the side issues of stressed-out working-class parents, teen love troubles and Nicholas Sparks-style life lessons, are ho-hum."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 140 words, 10/26/12
Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: WEAK(cg) "A greeting card set in motion... cheeses up the story of real-life surfing phenom Jay Moriarity so thickly you could spread it on a cracker."(See all of Barbara VanDenburgh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 392 words, 10/26/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "You have to really believe in messianic innocence and by-the-numbers screenwriting... the film's a kind of success. Come for the surfing. Stay for the sainthood."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 610 words, 10/26/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "...breaks through the clichés associated with surfer movies... yet it moves as fast as a runner in waist-high water and wears out its welcome."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 343 words, 10/26/12
Mike Russell, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The surfing scenes are gorgeous and overwhelming. But the rest of the film never quite manages to feel like more than a surface-scraping, by-the-numbers sports flick."(See all of Mike Russell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 10/26/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If your inner amphibian craves a wave, you have the right kind of brain to appreciate the elemental story and scenic backdrops."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 10/26/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted tell Moriarty's story well enough; but they never really deliver the sun-in-your-face, salt-in-your-hair, sandy-cocky thrill of surfing or surf culture."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 288 words, 10/26/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (7 Reviews)
Casey Burchby, Village Voice: POOR "Every time a character opens his or her mouth, out comes a red-tide torrent of gimmicky aphorisms, phony wisdom, and convenient wisecracks..."(See all of Casey Burchby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 11/07/12
Mack Rawden, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "The acting is top notch.... The cinematography is great. The writing contains a few well-crafted scenes.... but together, it just doesn't completely work."(See all of Mack Rawden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 10/25/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: POOR(cg) "As the teacher also comes to see himself more clearly, to share his knowledge and love his student, the formula is all too clear. Worse, the execution is clumsy."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 931 words, 10/26/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a resolutely old-school tale, by turns seductive and cornball, about a master, a young grasshopper and the Way of the Wave... emphatically upbeat."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 749 words, 10/26/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The killer waves are the only thing to watch... The story, and even the surfing, just don't hold water against their crushing presence or fierce beauty... at best it's a wash."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 10/26/12
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...sufficiently overcomes the obstacles with admittedly affecting results... [but] it's a disappointment to have their story's telling so drily and listlessly executed."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 438 words, 10/25/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "The killer waves are the only thing to watch... The story, and even the surfing, just don't hold water against their crushing presence or fierce beauty... at best it's a wash."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 10/26/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a resolutely old-school tale, by turns seductive and cornball, about a master, a young grasshopper and the Way of the Wave... emphatically upbeat."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 749 words, 10/26/12
16.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Chasing Mavericks's reviews are separated by an average 16.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Chasing Mavericks (33 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Chasing Mavericks's reviews cover 57.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 15,926 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 483 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4.8 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Chasing Mavericks's reviews on average broke 4.8 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Chasing Mavericks's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Chasing Mavericks (33 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
