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jimcoyle
Reviews
Big Wednesday (1978)
Big Wednesday - A Love Letter to Surfing
Big Wednesday is a film that is a love letter to surfing and growing up on the West Coast of the USA. The film wises uses a voice over narration by one of the main actors that gives cohesion to the story and guides the audience thru the main plot points. The film features surfing footage that shows the main characters catching many waves on surfboards and in that way is also a sports film while still being a narrative feature film.
The film captures the So Cal beach scene between the sequences of surfing that perfectly feature the laidback lifestyle and social dynamics of a closely-knit community of Malibu, 1960's. This community is shown during good times and bad, including some of the tumultuous events of the day, and like any good coming of age film shows the growth of the main characters that progress from one stage of life to the next.
After viewing the film I walked away with the feeling that everyone who participated in the making of the film was personally invested and poured the best part of him or herself into making it. I treasure watching this film.
The pacing can be slow at times but the climatic scene of Big Wednesday provides a worthwhile reward and proper capper to the film.