Soul Surfer
Rated: PG
Starring: Annasophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, Carrie Underwood, Craig T. Nelson
Release date: April 8, 2011

It might be possible we have developed an early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.  When we saw the Soul Surfer trailer for the first time, we realized we had forgotten all about the name Bethany Hamilton. If you find yourself in the same boat, here’s a crash course.

1. Bethany Hamilton is a professional surfer.
2. She was attacked by a shark in the waters off of Hawaii (where she lives).
3. She and her family members are strong believers in Christ.
4. She was featured in media coverage after the shark attack and during her recovery.

There is definitely a Christian undertone in this movie which becomes more obvious in the last half.  Scripture is quoted numerous times throughout, specifically Philippians 4:13 and Jeremiah 29:11. (Phil. 4:13 - “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” / Jer. 29:11 - “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” [both scriptures in NIV])  Seriously, when’s the last time you heard scripture quoted in a movie that wasn’t The Passion of the Christ or The Nativity?

We also like that the film has some star power: Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Craig T. Nelson, and Carrie Underwood.  Carrie Underwood plays Sarah, Bethany Hamilton’s youth minister.  When’s the last time you saw a YOUTH MINISTER character in a movie?  Our answer: never...which gets us super excited.

Overall, Soul Surfer is one of the better “Christian” movies we’ve seen (even though the movie is not produced by a Christian distributor or backed by any specific religious or faith-based organization). The plot is a bit slow in the second half of the movie and ends in an anticlimactic tone. HOWEVER, we do like that Bethany’s story is true to her real-life experience, and the screenplay takes very few liberties. There are some themes in this movie your teenager(s) can relate to: body image, achievement/success, family relationships, anger, grief, perseverance, and the age-old question - "Why do bad things happen?"

We did raise our eyebrows a little bit at the wardrobe, which basically consisted of solely bathing suits. Bear in mind, however, that most of the movie is based on the beach. When they’re surfing, the girls in the movie wear those cute, Sporty-Spice-looking mock turtlenecks with bikini bottoms. No issue there. (Personally, we would love it if we could get the girls in our youth group to wear the surfer girl ensemble during youth camp!) When the girls are just hanging around the beach in the movie, their bikinis are a little bit revealing.  However, we would really, really, really like for you to hear us say that we are totally willing to overlook the a-little-too-revealing bikinis because scripture is quoted repetitively.  LOVE that!

Check out their OFFICIAL website at www.soulsurfergirl.com

MEET THE REVIEWERS: Ree Reinhardt is a member of the SAGE Event and Resources Team and Amber Hargrove is one of the Associate Student Ministers at First Baptist Church in McKinney, Texas.  (And they love movies…and popcorn…and chocolate…and Coke Zero.)