Trailer
Plot summary
Jay Moriarity nearly drowns at eight in Santa Cruz and is pulled from the water by his neighbor Frosty Hesson, a surfer, and the rescue leaves him wanting the ocean. At fifteen he follows Frosty out one morning and sees him and three friends ride Mavericks, a huge swell that will reach its peak in about three months. Jay asks to be taught. Frosty agrees unwillingly, but only if Jay first completes what he calls the foundation pillars: paddling across Monterey Bay, treading water for a long stretch, and holding his breath. Frosty sets him essays to keep him focused, and Jay writes about Kim, the girl he likes, whose dog he once saved. Frosty's wife Brenda encourages Jay as he trains and grows closer to Kim.
Cast
- Zach Wormhoudtas Magnificent Three
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Chasing Mavericks (2012)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Curtis Hanson began the film, but Michael Apted was brought in to finish the final 15 days of shooting and post-production because of Hanson's failing health. It was the last film Hanson directed before his death in 2016.
- Gerard Butler, who was mentored for the part by big-wave surfer Grant Washburn, was hospitalized briefly on December 19 after being injured during a surfing stunt.
SPOILER
A title card at the end reveals that Jay married Kim and died at age 22 while free-diving in the Maldives. The film closes with Frosty, Kim and others holding a surfers' memorial service for him.- The film opened on October 26, 2012 in 2,002 theaters and took $2.3 million, a figure Box Office Mojo called "dreadful"; it was the 11th-worst debut for a film playing in over 2,000 theaters.
- Frosty Hesson, who mentored Jay Moriarity, published his own memoir of that experience, Making Mavericks, with Zola Books in October 2012.
