North Shore (1987)

Before entering art school next autumn, Rick sets out to spend the summer surfing at Hawaii. He knows nothing about the local habits, what causes him some starting problems, but by chance ... See full summary »

Director:

William Phelps

Writers:

Randal Kleiser (story), Tim McCanlies (screenplay),

Stars:

Matt Adler, Gregory Harrison, Nia Peeples

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Adler	...	Rick Kane
Gregory Harrison	...	Chandler
Nia Peeples	...	Kiani
John Philbin	...	Turtle
Gerry Lopez	...	Vince
Laird John Hamilton	...	Lance Burkhart (as Laird Hamilton)
Robbie Page	...	Alex Rogers
Mark Occhilupo	...	Himself
John Paragon	...	Professor
Rocky Kauanoe	...	Himself
Lokelani Lau	...	Anela
Cristina Raines	...	Rick's Mother
Tiffany Pestana	...	Chandler's Daughter
Corky Carroll	...	Himself
Joe Teipel	...	Pipeline Announcer

Storyline

Before entering art school next autumn, Rick sets out to spend the summer surfing at Hawaii. He knows nothing about the local habits, what causes him some starting problems, but by chance he gets a room in the house of guru Chandler. He teaches him the difference between 'soul surfers' and those who surf for fame and money. Also he manages to get the attention of a beautiful young native. (Features special appearances by real-life champions like Shaun Tompson, Derek Ho and others in many surfing scenes)

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Plot Keywords:

surfing | summer | surfer | hawaii | two word title | 

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Taglines:

The Peak... The Dream... The Ultimate Test.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hullámok bajnoka

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$3,832,228 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Before John Philbin could land the role of Turtle he had to convince the producers he could pull it off. So he flew to Hawaii for a few months prior to principal photography to get in shape, learn to surf, and perfect the local accent so his pidgin would sound convincing. He got so into surfing that to this day he still surfs and helps operate a surfing school.

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Goofs

Rick's shirt changes when he's running through the sugar cane field.

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Quotes

Turtle: Stay loose, haole.
Rick: What's a haole?
Turtle: A tourist, a mainlander, like you.
Rick: I'm not a tourist.
Turtle: Whatever, Barney.
Rick: What's a Barney?
Turtle: It's like Barno... Barnyard... a haole to the max, a kook in and out of the water. Yeah?

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Connections

Referenced in Blue Crush (2002)

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Soundtracks

"North Shore Roar"
Written by Paul Delph, Rebecca Parnell and Rick Parnell
Performed by Paul Delph, John Goodsall, Doug Lunn and R.J. Parnell

User Reviews

"Yo Kook! What's the haps?"

My top 10 films of all time include 12 Angry Men, Deliverance, and Rear Window, so you might be surprised by this review. North Shore is one of my favorite films, and it's mainly due to the character of Turtle, played by John Philbin (where are you now??) in a truly genius comic performance. Not only does Turtle get all of the best lines, but his character journey in overcoming self-doubt is a really nice & emotionally resonant element of the movie. All the actors are pleasant enough to watch, from Matt Adler (earnest and likeable) to Nia Peebles (foxy) to Gregory Harrison (Yoda-ish). Laird Hamilton is an awful actor, but you forgive him for it, because his surfing is incredible. The script is well-structured, the surfing scenes are excellent, and the romance is awesome. I really feel this is an underrated film, the best Karate Kid knockoff, and one of the best of the 80s sleepers. 9/10 P.S. I can't help but smile at that final shot. Awesome!