Bra Boys.

"Rudimentarily made as documentaries go - and more than a touch self-glorifying at times - Bra Boys is nevertheless intriguing for its insider's perspective of an outsider culture steeped in tradition, male-bonding rituals, and intense localism," writes Scott Foundas in the Voice.

"Bra Boys - narrated, with an absolute minimum of energy, by Russell Crowe - proves merely an extended commercial for the ragamuffin gang and their hard-charging surfing skills that offers scant basis for audience interest in the first place," writes Nick Schager in Slant.

"Part jock movie, part image rehabilitation, Bra Boys makes no pretense of impartiality," writes Jeannette Catsoulis in the New York Times. "Yet this crude, rowdy movie is also unexpectedly touching in its embrace of surfing as an escape from the stigma of poverty and broken homes."

"Despite the indisputable wonder of watching sun gods glide through barreling waves, it's hard to tell in this muddled account where blithe bias ends and sloppy technique begins," writes Nicolas Rapold in the New York Sun.

Posted by dwhudson at April 11, 2008 7:55 AM