8. Big Wednesday
We kick off this list with a film that's been somewhat forgotten; while writer/director John Milius' 1978 tribute to surfing and surfers does have a loyal cult following, it's a small one. Big Wednesday's initial commercial failure pretty much guaranteed that it would never get the attention it deserved. However, the film's available on DVD if you're willing to search for it; it's pricey, but the movie's good enough that's it's worth the price. Big Wednesday revolves around three men, Matt (Jan-Michael Vincent), Jack (William Katt), and Leroy (Gary Busey), as they come of age during the 1960s and 1970s. We start by watching the three in their prime, when they're at the top of their form as the surfing legends of their shore-side town. As the film progresses, however, we see the three friends grow apart as Jack becomes a "model citizen," enlisting in the military and marrying, while Matt's life deteriorates as his legendary status fades and Leroy's reckless, childlike ways cease to become exciting and become a handicap. The three friends are drawn together again, however, by the "swell of '74," which brings the kind of waves that Matt, Jack, and Leroy need to brave in order to cement their status as great surfers. The movie isn't just about the three pals, though; the supporting players are also vividly drawn, and it's through them that we see the effect of the events of the '60s and '70s most strongly. The best thing about Big Wednesday, however, has nothing to do with the plot itself; rather, what makes this film good is the way it portrays surfing. While most surf flicks portray the sport as just something fun to do when one happens to live near the beach, Big Wednesday paints surfing as a sort of religion. The voice-overs that Milius tosses in throughout the film talk about having respect for the ocean and its power, along with admiring and almost worshiping those who dare to brave the worst that the waves have to wield. In other hands, such ideas might have seemed hokey, but the film displays so much sincerity that it makes us believe in what the film's saying, even if only for the film's duration. Big Wednesday is
the movie to watch before an excursion to the beach; it's sure to get you in the perfect mindset for such a trip.