Soul Surfer (2011)

Teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton overcomes the odds and her own fears of returning to the water after losing her left arm in a shark attack.

Director:

Sean McNamara

Writers:

Sean McNamara (screenplay), Deborah Schwartz (screenplay)

Stars:

AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt

2 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
AnnaSophia Robb	...	Bethany Hamilton
Helen Hunt	...	Cheri Hamilton
Dennis Quaid	...	Tom Hamilton
Carrie Underwood	...	Sarah Hill
Kevin Sorbo	...	Holt Blanchard
Ross Thomas	...	Noah Hamilton
Chris Brochu	...	Timmy Hamilton
Lorraine Nicholson	...	Alana Blanchard
Jeremy Sumpter	...	Byron Blanchard
Sonya Balmores	...	Malina Birch (as Sonya Balmores Chung)
Craig T. Nelson	...	Dr. Rovinsky
Cody Gomes	...	Keoki
Branscombe Richmond	...	Ben Aipa
Titus Kinimaka	...	Titus
John Philbin	...	Fuel TV Reporter #2

Storyline

13 year-old Bethany Hamilton is a champion surfer who was born to be in the water. But after a fun night out night surfing and what should be a fun day in the water, she is attacked by a shark and loses her arm. Rushed to the hospital, she remains calm, and maintains her faith in God. Now she has to re-learn how to do everything with only one arm - including how to surf. It will take her friends, family, and her Christian faith to get her back into the water, but if that is where she is meant to be, she will find a way to get there.

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Plot Keywords:

based on autobiography | shark | surfer | shark attack | christian | 

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Taglines:

When you come back from a loss, beat the odds, and never say never, you find a champion.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Family | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for an intense accident sequence and some thematic material

Did You Know?

Trivia

The shark that attacked Bethany Hamilton was a 14ft (4.3M) tiger shark.

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Goofs

When Bethany Hamilton is on the surf board in Thailand and Sarah Hill is watching, a slightly bald man is over her shoulder. The group of people (including the same man) walks over but in the next shot he is over her same shoulder again.

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Quotes

Bethany Hamilton: I thought... I thought at least with clothes on, I could have two arms. That I could look normal.
Cheri Hamilton: Normal is so overrated.
Bethany Hamilton: But people like normal mom.
Cheri Hamilton: Who?
Bethany Hamilton: Guys do.
Cheri Hamilton: [takes a deep breath]
Bethany Hamilton: I mean who would even like me with this.
Cheri Hamilton: The right guy will love you, exactly the way you are. Because you're beautiful.
Bethany Hamilton: How do you know?
Cheri Hamilton: Because I know.

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Crazy Credits

During the ending credits, videos of the real Bethany Hamilton are shown, many of similar (or possibly the inspiration for) moments in the film.

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Connections

References Inside Edition (1988)

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Soundtracks

Sound of Forever
Written by A.J. Trauth (as AJ Trauth), Pete Trauth and Chris Trauth
Performed by Mavin
Courtesy of January 31st Music

User Reviews

Terrific Movie

I wanted to see Soul Surfer for many reasons, primarily because I recently learned about Bethany Hamilton and wanted to see her courageous story. I also heard it advertised on our local radio station and thought it sounded like a good movie.

The movie clearly portrays the Hamilton family as a close group who walked through an extremely difficult tragedy with grace and courage.

The scene when Bethany is attacked by the whale is brief but the aftermath is bloody and somewhat difficult to watch so I would encourage parents to be mindful of this. I took my almost-10-year old daughter to see it with me, but I discussed ahead of time what the movie was about. I didn't know what to expect with the actual shark but I did remind her that shark attacks are very rare, that this young woman spent much of her time in the ocean, etc. I think my daughter was still a little haunted by the images, so please be mindful that younger kids could be traumatized.

Still, the movie is worth seeing, especially by teens and adults. This courageous young woman took a personal tragedy and made it something meaningful and positive. Bless her! The acting is solid, the action is quick, the script is realistic and keeps moving well. I liked everything about it and hope the movie does really well. We need more inspiring, uplifting messages today.

Enjoy!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Soul Surfer

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,601,862, 10 April 2011

Gross USA:

$43,853,424

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$47,120,948

Company Credits

Production Co:

Enticing Entertainment, Island Film Group, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1