Temptation Vs Ambition… A Blue Crush Character Study

Introduction

Sometimes I just want to enjoy an easy going movie and pick something interesting from it to write about. And, as there probably aren’t many essays about Blue Crush, let’s talk about John Stockwell’s sweet surfer flick.

Specifically, what I want to write about is Kate Bosworth’s lead character, Anne Marie.

I’m not going to pretend this movie is particular deep or ground breaking, but I do think it’s more than just a girls in bikini’s movie. John Stockwell, for me, is a way more interesting writer/director than that, with Crazy/Beautiful being one of my absolute favourite movies (and I will talk about it some point in the future)

And, the original article by Susan Orlean that Blue Crush is based on (Life’s Swell) is a great read as well. So while I wasn’t expecting anything Oscar worthy, my high hopes for the movie were rewarded back when I first watched it, and I still love it now. Mostly because of the films kind heart, and Anne Marie’s journey.

There will be heavy spoilers from here on out.

Temptation Vs Ambition

The Setup

What I particularly liked about the Anne Marie character is this idea of Temptation Vs Ambition that the character faces throughout the story. Anne Marie was a prodigy as a young surfer and was moving up in that world until an accident ruined her confidence and nerves.

Together with the accident, her mum bailed on her and her younger sister, leaving Anne Marie with responsibilities she never asked for. She works a shitty job cleaning rooms of people who, in her eyes, have a far easier life than her (although she’s not bitter) and this unfulfilling job not only cuts into her surfing time, but also barely helps towards paying the rent on her rundown apartment.

Basically, she’s trapped.

Surfing is a way out, but life isn’t going to wait around for her to get her big break.

But, as we learn at the beginning of the movie, a potential break is on its way. Her previous hard work has lead to her being a wild card entry in a big surf tournament in her home town. This is the moment she’s been waiting for, but she’s not ready.

She has the support of her friends, and even the community around her despite some of them mocking her at times, but her confidence really is shot. And, it’s that lack of confidence which makes the other part of her story so interesting.

Anne Marie meets an NFL player at the hotel where she works and he is quickly infatuated by her. She’s beautiful and feisty, and as we learn later in the movie, he has a thing for ‘slumming it.’ (That bathroom scene is so horrible, I love it)

Whatever the socialites think however, Matt is a decent guy and respects Anne Marie. He’s supportive of her, and clearly likes her. His surf lessons help with her rent, but money isn’t really an object to him, what he really wants is to spend time with her.

The more time the new couple spend together, the more their relationship grows. He is something positive in Anne Marie’s difficult life. Suddenly, while never said allowed (apart from the younger sister who refers to her as Baywatch Barbie) there is an alternative way out for Anne Marie. She could be the girlfriend of a rich NFL player and live off that for a while.

Maybe it wouldn’t be a long term solution, but the temptation is enough for her to take a little break from her normal life and enjoy the fancy hotel as a guest rather than a maid, and even dawn an expensive evening gown.

The film could at this point could take the easy way out and make Matt an asshole, but like I said, John Stockwell is a better writer/director than that. So often in these sort of movies the object of affection turns out not to be what we hoped, but Matt is a standup decent guy.

They tease him not being a decent guy the first time Anne Marie goes to his room and hears him talking to a girl on the phone, but they quickly reveal it’s his young niece who he thinks the world off. Instead of making him the cheating scumbag, they actually double down on his niceness, so making him a prick later in the movie wouldn’t make sense.

He’s a good guy, so the choice isn’t going to be made for Anne Marie. She has to make it herself.

The Decision

I love this sort of clever writing. Like I said, the movie isn’t particularly deep, but it’s not interested in taking shortcuts either. It has set up a potential choice, and the main character is going to have to make the decision herself.

She’s gone from being trapped, to stuck in-between two worlds, and they literally show this on screen by her wading into the water in her expensive evening gown before the surf tournament. She has a choice to make, and again, Matt believes in her. He’s supportive. So much so, he wins her friends over as well despite their reservation of him seemingly upending her life.

But while Matt wants her, he doesn’t want it to be at the expense of her losing herself. When she asks him what to do, he tells her to be herself… and that the girl he first met on the beach would never ask a guy how to live her life.

We can’t help but like this dude, and the script is doing everything possible to make sure, once again, the choice is firmly on Anne Marie’s shoulders.

Obviously when it really comes down to it there isn’t a choice. She has to go out there and compete for herself. She’s worked too hard to fail at the last hurdle, but I like that the film sets up a way out for her if she wants to take it.

Life is hard, and the temptation to take a shortcut or alternative route to make things easier isn’t something to be ignored. Anne Marie is competitive as we learn through-out the movie, but I’m sure the idea of being able to surf everyday with less worries and more time was very appealing.

She’d never be the trophy wife type, but could enjoy some of the benefits. Choosing a life with Matt and bailing from the competition wouldn’t have been a failure, even if some would try and frame it as so.

We’ve already witnessed the nasty accident she had, and the surf tournament is equally as dangerous as we see when the top surfer is hurt. She’s not bailing from grabbing a coffee with a friend, this could literally be life and death.

As in keeping with Matt’s supportiveness throughout the movie he turns up to cheer her on, along with his funny friends. He even gives her a pep talk about his own early failings and honestly, it’s a nice message.

This idea of only having one moment of success, but that being fulfilling and a catalyst for greater things isn’t something nearly mentioned enough in modern culture. Perfection is overrated and damn near impossible. But good moments, they’re achievable.

Having Your Cake… But Earning It

Maybe this Temptation Vs Ambition story does have its cake and eat it at the end as Anne Marie competes and eventually does well after a particularly rocky (no pun intended) start. She doesn’t come close to winning, but she has that one great moment which is enough to catapult her into the life she wanted. Then, we see see kissing Matt with the suggestion of happily ever after…

… But, I would argue, if she didn’t compete and choose to be by his side instead, she could have lost it all. That it did become an all or nothing scenario, and her bravery won out. As he said himself, he wanted the girl he saw on the beach, not the girl so derived of self worth she’d ask a guy how to live her own life.

She earned the whole cake by putting herself out there, and giving it her absolute best. It’s a nice message, and in my mind, a good ending to a sweet film.

Her character could be considered somewhat of a trope, the person who drops everything that makes them then when they fall for a more alluring option, but I don’t think Anne Marie ever reaches that territory. Yes, she missed a surfing session with Eden, but she hasn’t abandoned the board altogether. And yes, she dressed like Baywatch Barbie for one scene, but the rest of the time she looks and acts like herself.

When the locals give Matt shit about being in the secret spot she’s the one who puts herself in the middle of the two guys trying to calm the situation down, while also taking responsibility for them being there.

Her friends have to help her out out looking after her younger sister for a bit, but honestly, who could blame Anne Marie for wanting a little time to enjoy herself. It’s easy to judge, but we’d all make the same decision. She doesn’t lose her identity in my eyes, just day dreams a little before getting back on track.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this movie could have just been hot girls in bikinis. The marketing certainly leaned on that. But, they actually created an interesting and engaging lead character. She wasn’t obnoxious, nor was she infallible. She wasn’t full of rage and bitterness, but did have a point to prove to her friends and herself. She didn’t want to stick it to the world, but instead wanted to become part of it, while also being a good role model for her younger sister.

Final Message

Temptation stories are alway interesting in my mind, especially when the options seem real and reasonable. The choice she had to make wouldn’t make her a bad person, but it would go against who she is. Being Baywatch Barbie isn’t inherently bad, but you also know she deserved, and should, be standing on her own two feet and achieving the goals she’s clearly capable of.

Cutting out the choice being made for her makes the achievement more real and is good writing. In the end, she choose to back herself, and I always have time for that.