Let me tell you, if you see only one surfing penguin movie this year, make it this one. Surf's Up is an entertaining movie, with (as I imagined) a bit of sentimentality, but more so, it's packed with great performances by its voice actors, a soundtrack that doesn't rely on '60s surf tunes or established, overused pop hits (a few songs heard prominently are Green Day's "Holiday" and "Welcome to Paradise," and "Get What You Give," by the New Radicals), and a great mockumentary style that sets it apart from the rest of the animated "kids" movies out there.
Much-seen-lately Shia LaBeouf stars as Cody Maverick, a runt of a flightless bird who lost his father young (the filmmakers even make that funny — much different than the Disney brand of parental issues), has a bullying bigger brother and an airhead mother. Cody wants to be just like his fallen idol Big Z — in other words, he wants to be the best of the best amongst surfers. Though none of it is groundbreaking - I won't give away the story - suffice it to say that it is satisfactory (the Big Z storyline is practically straight out of The Karate Kid).
If you're not sick of seeing/hearing LaBeouf lately (Disturbia, Transformers), you're bound to enjoy him here. He brings the right attitude to Cody, being plucky and determined while remaining funny. Also on board (no pun intended) are:
Jeff Bridges in a perfect role for him, especially if you enjoyed his performance in The Big Lebowski;
Jon Heder, aka Napoleon Dynamite, who plays a stoner chicken named, uh, Chicken Joe. Heder gets to steal many of the funnier lines in the movie and never gets annoying, which is nice;
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