Surf's Up

Ah yes, Surf’s Up! the absolutely essential cinematic experience that bravely asked, “What if penguins could shred waves and talk about it like they were on MTV’s Real World?” Finally, someone had the courage to tell the story of aquatic flightless birds experiencing a full blown identity crisis on camera.  We meet Cody Maverick, a penguin with dreams bigger than his brain capacity. He’s from Shiverpool, which is ironic because no one in that town seems to have ever experienced joy, pride, or even a functioning heating system. Cody is determined to leave his cold, fish smelling hometown and prove to the world that he’s not like other penguins… he surfs, bro. Because when you’re a flightless bird living in the Antarctic, your best career options are:  • Fish catcher,  • Ice sitter,  • Or world famous surf god?  Obviously, he picks the most reasonable one. The film is shot like a documentary, which is a bold artistic choice if your main cast consists of CGI poultry and saltwater mammals with self esteem issues. You get heartfelt quotes like, “My brother says I’m a loser,” and “I just want to surf,” which is basically Rocky, but with more feathers and fewer brain cells. Then we meet Big Z, the surfing legend who faked his death because… wait for it… he didn’t want to disappoint people by losing a contest. Wow. Such bravery. Really a great message.. “When life gets hard, just ghost everyone and live in a hut full of driftwood and regret.” But let’s not forget the film’s philosophical backbone!! Chicken Joe. He’s a surfing chicken from Sheboygan(?) and yes, that’s his actual backstory. Joe exists purely to remind you that life is meaningless and chaos reigns, because apparently poultry are allowed in international surf competitions now and no one has questions. Honestly, he’s the only character in the film with inner peace. Possibly because he has no idea where he is or what’s happening. By the end, Cody learns that winning isn’t everything, friendship matters, and your idol might just be a washed up recluse who smells like kelp and failure. This movie is ridiculous. It’s hilarious. It’s oddly inspiring.