Big Wednesday Movie Views

General Goods

A'Big Wednesday ' is a gentle rites-of-passage movie that covers many years in the lives of three friends as they grow up but never entirely grow apart. Both touching and humorous, the film authentically recreates the spirit of 60s and 70s America, looking at the big issues of the time through the eyes of three ordinary young men. The script and performances are quite deep enough to satisfy those who have no interest in surfing, and this is not merely a surf movie. That being said, the outstanding surf sequences are fabulously filmed and quite remarkable, and surf fans will find them exciting and authentic. Surprisingly worthwhile all round.

Synopsis: Jan-Michael Vincent plays a self-destructive beach bum to whom surfing is a Zen experience. We first meet Vincent in the devil-may-care 1960s, in the company of his carefree buddies William Katt and Gary Busey. The boys reunite ten years later, after... Jan-Michael Vincent plays a self-destructive beach bum to whom surfing is a Zen experience. We first meet Vincent in the devil-may-care 1960s, in the company of his carefree buddies William Katt and Gary Busey. The boys reunite ten years later, after one has served time in Vietnam. The beach is still there, the waves still break upon the shore, and towards the end of the film, the characters become people that we truly care about. Barbara Hale, the real-life mother of costar William Katt, makes a piquant supporting appearance. Cut from 129 minutes to 104 for its pay-cable release, Big Wednesday is also known as Summer of Innocence.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide More