You don't get any more Hallmark maudlin or triumph-of-the-human-spirit sentimental than "Soul Surfer," the already heart-wrenching story of surfer Bethany Hamilton, who became a professional surfer after a shark bit off one of her arms.
AnnaSophia Robb plays Bethany in the film, a sweet, pretty young surfer girl who is a devout Christian, home-schooled but still outgoing and popular. She has a BFF (Lorraine Nicholson), a rival (Sonya Balmores), and a family that supports and loves her, led by her mom and dad (Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid).
After winning a surfing competition, Bethany lands a sponsor, marking a step up in her sport. She decides against going on a mission trip to Mexico in favor of training for her next competition, sending a rather generous care package instead. Herein marks my first issue with the film: It's suggested that Bethany makes the wrong decision, though the film is a bit vague about its politics there, as she is sort-of chastised by her youth-group leader (singer Carrie Underwood).
Though it's never said outright, the suggestion could easily be made that God is punishing her for skipping the trip in favor of, you know, chasing her dreams and ostensibly providing for her family. Perhaps it's the cynic in me, but I kept expecting Underwood to say "I told you to go on that trip!" but this is too warm and snugly a movie for something that sort of thing (and, of course, being a true story, perhaps it simply never happened).
Indeed, Bethany's faith is a large part of this film, and we see her family in church, saying a blessing before a meal, and "God will guide you through this" or some variation is frequently heard throughout. It's not wholly distracting but a little surprising in this day and age.
The shark attack itself is handled well without resorting too much to horror-movie theatrics, though we do get a couple of needless red-herring underwater shots, including one just after the attack where the camera "chases" the fleeing surfers (as if from the shark's perspective), gains on them and pops out of the water to...cut to no shark pursuing. I've seen enough bad killer shark movies to know that's a flat-out cheat.
But it happens suddenly and violently and isn't sensationalized, exploited or sanitized for a younger crowd. Aside from that one moment, it's handled as an emergency situation.
While the film wisely gets the attack out of the way quickly, it doesn't focus on the after-effects. We don't know Bethany's psychological state afterward. She doesn't seem too shaken by a shark attack and is surfing shortly after with nary a question of "Aren't you scared another shark will attack you?" Also, this being a film aimed at children, it seems a wasted opportunity to not offer an explanation of why the shark attacked her, how rare shark attacks are and how sharks generally are not interested in eating people.
There is a glossing-over of Bethany's friend, also a champion surfer, having some problems dealing with the attack. But for the most part Bethany's frustrations center around her dealing with day-to-day tasks. We see her unable to slice a tomato, dress herself and even carry objects. These are all fine, but I'd also have like to have seen more of her mental state and why she was or was not afraid to go back into the water.
A diverting mission trip to tsunami-ravaged Indonesia was both a nice callout to real-world events, a welcome tangent to the narrative and a pivotal moment for the character (and, I presume, the real girl on whom she's based).
The film's ending turns "Soul Surfer" into a sports movie but tries to tinker with the conventions a bit. The end result is a little stilted but, for the most part, achieves its goals. There's a nice bit of footage showing the real Bethany and her friends and family that plays over the credits, capturing on video some of the events depicted in the film.
Your kids, especially young girls, will really enjoy this film, and chances are at least a few of your heartstrings will be tugged upon. I found it to be passably entertaining, but doesn't dig enough through the muck for my taste.