DVD Local Boys

Eric Christian Olsen and Jeremy Sumpter star as Randy and Skeet, brothers whose policeman father "died a hero" (as Randy likes to say) in the line of duty. Skeet wants to learn to surf, so Randy buys him a surfboard for his twelfth birthday. But like so many other well-meaning though self-centered older brothers, he buys one that is too big (that way he'll have a spare) and then leaves Skeet to learn on his own. When legendary surfer Jim Wesley (Mark Harmon) sees Skeet's pitiful attempts at riding a wave, he befriends the boy, buys him a suitable board, and offers to teach him the proper way to surf. Skeet and Jim become fast friends and Jim even begins a tentative relationship with the boys' mother (Stacey Edwards), much to Randy's displeasure. (Randy loathes Jim, sees him as a threat to his status as "man of the house" and refuses to cut him any slack.) But Jim has issues of his own to deal with, since his own wife and daughter were killed in a car crash a couple of years before. And then there's Skeet's unresolved emotional problems surrounding the death of his father to deal with as well--

"Local Boys" isn't exactly loaded with surprises since you can tell where everything is headed almost before the film starts. But it is done with taste and restraint and a refreshing lack of melodrama, except for a ridiculous suicide attempt late in the film by one of Randy's surfer buds (Guiseppe Andrews), whose father thinks is a lazy, pothead loser (which, incidentally, he is) and is forcing to join the Marines.

As for the brothers' relationship, it is tender and sweetly rendered, yet combative and utterly believable, thanks to the terrific performances of Olsen and Sumpter. Olsen, who bombed badly in the "Dumb and Dumber" sequel "When Harry Met Lloyd," makes Randy likeable even when he's acting like a spoiled jerk, mainly because he never lets the audience lose sight of how much he loves his brother and mother. He's convinced he's trying to protect them from being hurt by Jim, but in reality, he's protecting himself. As for Sumpter, he is simply amazing as Skeet, creating a character who is not a mini-adult but a believable, emotionally fragile pre-teen who idolizes his older brother, yet occasionally finds him a major league pain in the you-know-where. Couple this with his fine performance in Bill Paxton's "Frailty," and the result is a young actor of exceptional promise.

In addition, Harmon and Edwards, who co-starred as lovers on TV's "Chicago Hope," also score solidly and once again make a believable couple. Harmon, in fact, has developed into a reliable and solid character actor who manages to elevate every scene he's in, no matter how pedestrian. And he's 100% believable as a surfing legend. Unfortunately, Edwards, who was magnificent as the deaf "victim" in Neal LaBute's "In the Company of Men," is given little to do as the mother, but what she is given she does extremely well. And Andrews offers amusing support as the pothead friend.

Give credit to director Ron Moler, who does a creditable job on both the character-driven scenes and the surfing sequences, which are refreshingly believable in that they concentrate on surfers riding real waves instead of the ridiculous tidal waves of "Big Wednesday" and other recent surfing films. How refreshing that the director doesn't feel the need to thrill the audience with laughable computer-generated surfing sequences in which normal surfers become superhuman thrill-seekers. Moler also successfully captures the "look" of the Southern California beach scene and it's surrounding neighborhoods. As for the DVD itself, the presentation is crisp, the sound excellent and is presented in the original aspect ratio of 1:85:1.

In all, this one's a winner. Surfers can watch it without groaning, and non-surfers will find the story touching and the performances refreshingly good for a direct-to-video release.
Congratulations to one and all.