Every minute is important in this movie! Hit the pause button when you need to go to the bathroom, because every moment counts here! Of course there is a lot of cool surfing action, but that is not all this movie is about! It is about family, emotion and standing up for what is right! If you like "Searching For Bobby Fischer" you should like this one as well! Not to mention (or should I??)--> The sound track is perfect!
16 Reviews
let's go surfing
ksf-227 July 2021
Mark harmon is Jim, surfer dude. He was already 50 by now, but he shows the Dobson brothers (Eric Olden and Jeremy Sumpter) the moves. Except the older brother never seems to keep an eye on the younger squid; first it's Jim helping him, then it's the asian guy. And mom ( Stacy Edwards) is only 12 years older than her son Randy ( Eric Olsen)... how bizarre. Some bad acting here. A litlle cool wave riding. There's going to be a show down with the rough dudes at some point. Pretty lame script... it needed fixing up. It's just barely okay. Directed by ron moler. One of the two films he directed. But he was the producer of Bachelor Party with tom hanks - that was a righteous movie indeed. Story by Norman Bradley and Thomas Stewart .
SUMMER SURF TEEN DRAMA
gideon-4963921 June 2022
We need more movies like this
ifeelpretty1730 December 2003
This is by far the best surfing movie I have ever seen. It has a great story and a perfect cast. Jeremy Sumpter and Eric Christian Olsen work GREAT together as brothers.
Jeremy Sumpter is a very gifted actor. He is unbelievably talented. This movie is just good,clean entertainment,and we could definately use more movies like this nowadays. > Also,the surfing rocks! Mark Harmon has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now. I'm not sure I agree with his moustache though. It would've looked better on him if it was shorter on the sides. I love the opening sequence,with Skeet (Jeremy Sumpter) riding his skim board near the shore. Skim boarding is fun to do, and fun to watch!
I'm giving it an 11 out of 10! I SERIOUSLY recommend this to any surfing fans,surf movie fans, and anyone who likes great entertainment and hot beaches!
Jeremy Sumpter is a very gifted actor. He is unbelievably talented. This movie is just good,clean entertainment,and we could definately use more movies like this nowadays. > Also,the surfing rocks! Mark Harmon has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now. I'm not sure I agree with his moustache though. It would've looked better on him if it was shorter on the sides. I love the opening sequence,with Skeet (Jeremy Sumpter) riding his skim board near the shore. Skim boarding is fun to do, and fun to watch!
I'm giving it an 11 out of 10! I SERIOUSLY recommend this to any surfing fans,surf movie fans, and anyone who likes great entertainment and hot beaches!
Good Movie for the Surf Crew
hbsnake114 September 2006
I enjoyed this movie and yes, I'm a real surfer who is widely known in the surfing world. I'm not a movie critic and really don't care that there some minor mistakes, the theme itself made up for the problems. This film reminded me of many trips, surf sessions, and other things we used to do. I still drive groms to the beach, give them hints, help them along, and yes I've even given a few boards away. Don't think it doesn't happen as it happens all the time. Ask Chuck Linnen about how many groms he's taken under his wing over the years. Some became US and even world champions.
Some may find fault with how surfers bargain for boards in the movie. Sorry but Dick Dale reminded me of my mentor Dale Velzy selling boards in Huntington Beach back in the early 60s.
Some may find fault with how surfers bargain for boards in the movie. Sorry but Dick Dale reminded me of my mentor Dale Velzy selling boards in Huntington Beach back in the early 60s.
dull, predictable and trite
MarshallStax15 December 2003
"Local Boys" gets many of the technical aspects right (the way that surfers flip their boards over, wax-side-down, when they first get into the water in order to cool the side that has heated up on the trip down, for instance) but fails in the important areas: character and story.
This tale uses a movie-version Southern California surfing culture backdrop for an uninspiring, uncompelling family drama that shortchanges all its main characters. Here we have the 40-ish widowed mom who, after her knight (cop) husband is killed in the line of duty, picks the worst possible men to begin seeing. Why is never explained. We also have her angry young teen son trying to be the man of the family by flaring his nostrils constantly, shouting a lot and finally breaking down in the arms of the surf Obi-Wan (a long board riding "soul surfer" father figure) who teaches the young Jedi to trust his feelings.
Thrown in for further pathos is the emotionally disturbed younger brother who, with his anxiety disorder, really ought to be in professional counseling. There is also an attempt at shoehorning a bit of that "Big Wednesday" vibe in by having our boys hang out with a lovable crew of pot smoking losers. If you don't believe that "Big Wednesday" was an influence on this film, check out the Bear Surfboards shirt Mark Harmon wears towards the end of the film.
There is a long-neglected subplot of seeking revenge against a group of locals ("Da Cleanup Crew" who, strangely enough for SoCal, seem to be Hawaiians) that pops up at the beginning and again at the end, resolved by our heroes with some good natured grand theft auto and impersonation of lifeguards.
Just so we know the tasty male blonde lead is not gay, there is an utterly forced romantic subplot thrown in. Why neither of the attractive halves of this couple is single is ever touched on, allowing a movie-convenient love story to develop. Well, develop isn't the right word. Perhaps "spontaneously appear" is a better turn of phrase.
How mom affords the nice house where the splintered family resides is also not apparent. In fact, there are so many questions raised about money and how our main characters come by it that it begins to feel as fake as "Friends" by the end.
This is a real waste of resources, from the awful score to the decent-by-So-Cal-standards-but-not-amazing-by-Hawaii-standards surfing. For the same amount of money and time invested in this dud, a much better story could have been told utilizing the same elements.
There have been several surf movies released in the last few years: some good ("Blue Crush", "Step Into Liquid"), some not ("Billabong Odyssey", "In God's Hands"). "Local Boys" very seriously resides in the latter category.
This tale uses a movie-version Southern California surfing culture backdrop for an uninspiring, uncompelling family drama that shortchanges all its main characters. Here we have the 40-ish widowed mom who, after her knight (cop) husband is killed in the line of duty, picks the worst possible men to begin seeing. Why is never explained. We also have her angry young teen son trying to be the man of the family by flaring his nostrils constantly, shouting a lot and finally breaking down in the arms of the surf Obi-Wan (a long board riding "soul surfer" father figure) who teaches the young Jedi to trust his feelings.
Thrown in for further pathos is the emotionally disturbed younger brother who, with his anxiety disorder, really ought to be in professional counseling. There is also an attempt at shoehorning a bit of that "Big Wednesday" vibe in by having our boys hang out with a lovable crew of pot smoking losers. If you don't believe that "Big Wednesday" was an influence on this film, check out the Bear Surfboards shirt Mark Harmon wears towards the end of the film.
There is a long-neglected subplot of seeking revenge against a group of locals ("Da Cleanup Crew" who, strangely enough for SoCal, seem to be Hawaiians) that pops up at the beginning and again at the end, resolved by our heroes with some good natured grand theft auto and impersonation of lifeguards.
Just so we know the tasty male blonde lead is not gay, there is an utterly forced romantic subplot thrown in. Why neither of the attractive halves of this couple is single is ever touched on, allowing a movie-convenient love story to develop. Well, develop isn't the right word. Perhaps "spontaneously appear" is a better turn of phrase.
How mom affords the nice house where the splintered family resides is also not apparent. In fact, there are so many questions raised about money and how our main characters come by it that it begins to feel as fake as "Friends" by the end.
This is a real waste of resources, from the awful score to the decent-by-So-Cal-standards-but-not-amazing-by-Hawaii-standards surfing. For the same amount of money and time invested in this dud, a much better story could have been told utilizing the same elements.
There have been several surf movies released in the last few years: some good ("Blue Crush", "Step Into Liquid"), some not ("Billabong Odyssey", "In God's Hands"). "Local Boys" very seriously resides in the latter category.
Surprisingly good movie
rutani-214 July 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this because of Mark Harmon's name, but didn't expect much. Instead, my husband and I were really surprised at how good a movie it was. The acting was excellent for a small production...actually, it has some of the most honest emotional scenes in it I've seen in a long time. The pacing and editing were great, too. Music was excellent. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 was for what some might consider a "predictable" plot. Well, yeah, it was...but still, it was about everyday problems that real people deal with. The relationships and family interaction were very realistic. I like it because, despite their issues and faults, they push past them and work everything out to a good conclusion. And...the surfing rocks! Great surfing scenes. I recommend this for families, and anybody who loves the beach life. Beautiful SoCal scenery...they capture the lifestyle perfectly.
Coming of Age/Drama
azayas-668286 December 2015
Very predictable teen coming of age film. Borrows heavily from films like it before. Only this one is in the Surfing World. Dealing with life unfortunate events. Acting besides Harmon and Olsem was mediocre at best. However while not great Sumpter showed enough to secure himself future roles. Olsen GF plot seemed like a after thought an really her role was negligible. It was never really expanded on much. Other than to fill yet another predicable plot moment. Perhaps they meant to go another direction then a script change was introduced later on. Some cool surfing scenes This was a direct to DVD movie and it shows.Still not a bad movie just not that great.Olsen supporting cast his buddies performances where spotty. Them only had bit parts and were just used as fillers. Overall its just a average film at best. If its on the budget rack and you need something to watch i guess it will do. I caught it on network TV myself.
action movie with a little drama!!!
dory2153 February 2004
altogether i think that this movie was pretty good. but at the same time it had its high and low parts. i enjoyed it when skeet (jeremy sumpter) found the new board where he buried his other one because the look on his face was just pure joy. but i didnt understand why wesly (mark harmon) left. because everything was going just fine. it was one of the best movies about surfers!! altogether id give this move an A-.
good touching movie
Bobbycenturion4 May 2005
My friend gave me a copy of this movie, and it was really good! I liked all the relationships in the movie! Eric Christian Olsen and Jeremy Sumpter made a great brother team! I like Olsen in his other works, "Not Another Teen Movie" and "The Hot Chick", and Sumpter in "Peter Pan", which is one of the best movies ever made!! But "Local Boys", I enjoyed the drama in it, and how both boys were hurting, and how it was acted out, even I felt sorry for Skeet! I thought maybe the suicidal character should have gone ahead and jumped, and that would have made Skeet even more screwed up, first his dad and then this, and then Jim Wesley and Skeet's mom and Randy would work even harder to help Skeet get over his problems, that would have been cool! But good movie, good story, great acting given by all! I would have to thank Jeremy Sumpter for doing "Peter Pan" or I would never seen this great movie!!
I'm a surfer
fpintob-sn20 January 2008
The movie is not very credible, the surfing (few) clips are just OK.
In the movie everything is just OK.
If someone is to do a movie just to be OK i believe that there are others of expression that are better suited. An article on a magazine, a Youtube.
What i believe is that there are surfers out there that are land locked like myself and it is through these movies that we allow our minds return to the liquid.
Bias? Sure. After all surf is something that you feel and you can't explain. I can tell you that i didn't feel it at all here.
Now that you have understood where i'm coming from, allow me to explain what are the other issues: 1 - the people that actually surf are really NOT the actors 2 - the actors are NOT actors.... really 3 - the idea that surf is a wood panel door truck is to cliché'
Maybe it would work for TV. In a movie is very painful.
In the movie everything is just OK.
If someone is to do a movie just to be OK i believe that there are others of expression that are better suited. An article on a magazine, a Youtube.
What i believe is that there are surfers out there that are land locked like myself and it is through these movies that we allow our minds return to the liquid.
Bias? Sure. After all surf is something that you feel and you can't explain. I can tell you that i didn't feel it at all here.
Now that you have understood where i'm coming from, allow me to explain what are the other issues: 1 - the people that actually surf are really NOT the actors 2 - the actors are NOT actors.... really 3 - the idea that surf is a wood panel door truck is to cliché'
Maybe it would work for TV. In a movie is very painful.
Absolutely loved it!
fannyvanelewijck7 August 2018
Yes we need more movies like this.
Great acting, beautiful actors.
Sun,sea,sand,surf...a beautiful story,what more do you need?
I recently discovered this movie while researching Mark Harmon(Ihope Dave the dog is alright).
I was able to watch the movie via streaming, the great story compensated the low resolution.
Play checkers instead
joelsmith1018 January 2004
In quite possibly the worst movie of all time, 'Local Boys' attempts to capitalize on the current surfing movie fad (Blue Crush etc.) but ends up creating one hell of a mess. The plot is overly corny and predictable and the acting can be summed up as terrible. Humorous moments include: "Skeet" calling someone a "squid-dick" and the boys looking out onto a wave-less Mexico beach, only for 6ft barrels to appear in the very next shot. The movie winds up becoming a comedy as you ponder how a movie could be so bad. I would rather nail gun my tongue to a 2x4 than sit through this one again. Warning: STAY AWAY. Rating: 1/10
We need more films like this!
junkmail-4856618 November 2019
This is a film about people, and in films about people, the cast has to act which this cast does admirably. Those looking for glorified special effects have to look elsewhere, as this film deals with character development that advances the plotline. Mark Harmon is excellent in his role as a surfing "grease monkey," who has designs on the mother of the two main characters, one of whom is played to good advantage by a young Eric Christian Olsen. "Local Boys" is a terrific coming-of-age film that shouldn't be missed!
It had a great plot. I wasn't interested through the whole movie.
aragornsalive18 October 2004
I guess what made the movie so intense was the fact that Skeet had an Anxiety Disorder. Overall, I thought that the plot was good. I lowered my opinion a bit because of the cussing, but other than that, I loved it. My favorite part would have to be the part when Skeet first tries his new board. It was funny in a humiliating way. I liked how the actors new what they were doing. It's just neat to see a movie where that actor know how to act. Eric Christian Olsen, Mark Harmon, and Jeremy Sumpter portrayed the characters wonderfully. It was great to see how Jessica and Jim kind of liked each other, and then Jim suddenly disappeared. I was, however, surprised to see how Randy reacted to Jim.
A perfect movie of this genre.
smiledaydream5 September 2021
A perfect movie of this genre. It is a perfect family film. It's fun for anyone. Oh yeah the young actor is really amazing and I'm glad he had a good career after. And the old guy playing the surfet is fantastic. Gets a couple common themes and that's just fine. I think you should put this on enjoy it with your whole family or if you just got some feelings you need to deal with well why not. It made me cry.
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