hbsnake1 I enjoyed this movie and yes, I'm a real surfer who is widely known in the surfing world. I'm not a movie critic and really don't care that there some minor mistakes, the theme itself made up for the problems. This film reminded me of many trips, surf sessions, and other things we used to do. I still drive groms to the beach, give them hints, help them along, and yes I've even given a few boards away. Don't think it doesn't happen as it happens all the time. Ask Chuck Linnen about how many groms he's taken under his wing over the years. Some became US and even world champions.Some may find fault with how surfers bargain for boards in the movie. Sorry but Dick Dale reminded me of my mentor Dale Velzy selling boards in Huntington Beach back in the early 60s.

dory215 altogether i think that this movie was pretty good. but at the same time it had its high and low parts. i enjoyed it when skeet (jeremy sumpter) found the new board where he buried his other one because the look on his face was just pure joy. but i didnt understand why wesly (mark harmon) left. because everything was going just fine. it was one of the best movies about surfers!! altogether id give this move an A-.

ifeelpretty17 This is by far the best surfing movie I have ever seen. It has a great story and a perfect cast. Jeremy Sumpter and Eric Christian Olsen work GREAT together as brothers.Jeremy Sumpter is a very gifted actor. He is unbelievably talented. This movie is just good,clean entertainment,and we could definately use more movies like this nowadays. > Also,the surfing rocks! Mark Harmon has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years now. I'm not sure I agree with his moustache though. It would've looked better on him if it was shorter on the sides. I love the opening sequence,with Skeet (Jeremy Sumpter) riding his skim board near the shore. Skim boarding is fun to do, and fun to watch!I'm giving it an 11 out of 10! I SERIOUSLY recommend this to any surfing fans,surf movie fans, and anyone who likes great entertainment and hot beaches!

MarshallStax "Local Boys" gets many of the technical aspects right (the way that surfers flip their boards over, wax-side-down, when they first get into the water in order to cool the side that has heated up on the trip down, for instance) but fails in the important areas: character and story.This tale uses a movie-version Southern California surfing culture backdrop for an uninspiring, uncompelling family drama that shortchanges all its main characters. Here we have the 40-ish widowed mom who, after her knight (cop) husband is killed in the line of duty, picks the worst possible men to begin seeing. Why is never explained. We also have her angry young teen son trying to be the man of the family by flaring his nostrils constantly, shouting a lot and finally breaking down in the arms of the surf Obi-Wan (a long board riding "soul surfer" father figure) who teaches the young Jedi to trust his feelings.Thrown in for further pathos is the emotionally disturbed younger brother who, with his anxiety disorder, really ought to be in professional counseling. There is also an attempt at shoehorning a bit of that "Big Wednesday" vibe in by having our boys hang out with a lovable crew of pot smoking losers. If you don't believe that "Big Wednesday" was an influence on this film, check out the Bear Surfboards shirt Mark Harmon wears towards the end of the film.There is a long-neglected subplot of seeking revenge against a group of locals ("Da Cleanup Crew" who, strangely enough for SoCal, seem to be Hawaiians) that pops up at the beginning and again at the end, resolved by our heroes with some good natured grand theft auto and impersonation of lifeguards.Just so we know the tasty male blonde lead is not gay, there is an utterly forced romantic subplot thrown in. Why neither of the attractive halves of this couple is single is ever touched on, allowing a movie-convenient love story to develop. Well, develop isn't the right word. Perhaps "spontaneously appear" is a better turn of phrase.How mom affords the nice house where the splintered family resides is also not apparent. In fact, there are so many questions raised about money and how our main characters come by it that it begins to feel as fake as "Friends" by the end.This is a real waste of resources, from the awful score to the decent-by-So-Cal-standards-but-not-amazing-by-Hawaii-standards surfing. For the same amount of money and time invested in this dud, a much better story could have been told utilizing the same elements.There have been several surf movies released in the last few years: some good ("Blue Crush", "Step Into Liquid"), some not ("Billabong Odyssey", "In God's Hands"). "Local Boys" very seriously resides in the latter category.