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Bethany (Anna Sophia Robb) begins the story as a young surfer aiming to win local competitions against her rival, Malina Birch (Sonya Balmores). The plot starts out slow as it introduces Bethany’s family, who regularly attend Church together and who love to spend time riding the waves. Along with her two brothers, the family includes Bethany’s mother Cheri (Helen Hunt) and her father Tom (Dennis Quaid). After a few surfing scenes that feel like false alarms for what’s to come, Bethany is attacked by a shark while out surfing with her friends. The shark bites off one of her arms and leaves her questioning her surfing career.

The scenes surrounding the shark attack are some of the weakest scenes in the story. Before the attack, the surfing scenes are directed in anticipation of the big attack. Like in “Jaws,”  there are several shots of Bethany surfing while something seemingly lurks underneath the water. These seem out of place in a story that should be more focused on Bethany’s recovery, not on the attack itself. When the shark finally attacks, it’s anti-climactic. The story continues to stumble right after the attack. The director doesn’t seem to know where the camera should be and has it bouncing around and then cutting to close-ups of the actors as they bring Bethany to safety. After that, the camera thankfully slows down and lets the story unfold. 

In the attack, Bethany loses 60% of her blood and her arm is completely gone. Her survival itself leads the local doctor (Craig T. Nelson) to call her “a living miracle.” Even with one arm, Bethany can’t wait to return to a surf board. However, her enthusiasm turns to pessimism when she struggles during a competition. Carrie Underwood (in her film debut) appears as Bethany’s friend Sarah and tries to help Bethany understand God’s plan for her. 

The scenes after the recovery are where the story excels with both its plot and message. Unbeknownst to Bethany, many people have heard about her plight and are inspired by her story. Bethany seems genuinely surprised when she receives hundreds of letters from people applauding her determination. 

Bethany’s story is a truly inspiring one to build a movie around. Stories like this work best when audiences don’t feel overwhelmed by the message and “Soul Surfer” never feels preachy although it has a clear and undeniable message about not giving up and faith.  

Aside from the scenes surrounding the shark attack and a competition scene towards the end, I think director Sean McNamara does a solid job with the material. It’s well-told and well-acted with a solid supporting cast including Academy Award winner Hunt, whose presence in films is always welcome. Robb also does a commendable job in the lead role as a regular surfer who eventually becomes something more.

“Soul Surfer” is not to be missed by families who are looking for some solid entertainment.

“Parenthood,” a television drama inspired by the 1989 film of the same name, focuses on a large, eclectic family like the film did. However, instead of going for laughs as the film did, the show focuses on the drama that come from being a parent. I watched the film “Parenthood” for the first time several weeks ago and enjoyed it. However, I am liking the television show a lot more because it’s less concerned with creating comedy and more interested in developing strong characters and great storylines.

The show revolves around the Braverman family, which is headed by a a strong couple: Zeek (played by Craig T. Nelson) and Camille (Bonnie Bedelia). The Braverman family includes Zeek and Camille’s children and their numerous grandchildren. One of the major storylines focuses on one of the grandchildren, Max, who was recently diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Max’s parents have a difficult time adjusting to the realization that their child is different than the other kids but ultimately they learn to adapt their life for him — to give him an environment where he can grow.

From the beginning , these characters were written as complex individuals whose problems are not solved in one hour. In the Max storyline, for example, his struggles are often seen on a weekly basis and you can see how the other family members adjust to this new reality. Max’s parents are extremely worried after their son is diagnosed and they are not sure what they can or should do for him. Max’s sister feels left out because of all of the attention focused on Max, something she has dealt with throughout her life. Max’s aunt sees her daughter acting a bit strangely and suddenly, she’s asking herself if her own daughter has Asperger’s as well. There is a strong family dynamic on this program that shows how each of these characters may be affected in small but subtle ways by what their other family members are going through.

Another storyline focuses on Zeek and Camille’s daughter Sarah (played by Lauren Graham) who has recently moved her family back home. Sarah is a single mom trying to create a new life for her and her children, and to do this she moves back in with her parents. In a recent episode, Sarah went out with her daughter’s English teacher, played by Jason Ritter. Upon learning that her daughter has a crush on this teacher, Sarah has to decide whether to continue dating him. After she tells her daughter about the relationship thinking that she can make it all work, she hears her daughter crying alone in her bedroom and she seems to come to the realization that in having more of a personal life, she would be hurting her daughter and decides that the relationship is not the price.

In addition to strong writing and interesting storylines, this show also has an extraordinary cast of stars in it. Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under”), Erika Christensen (“The Upside of Anger”) and the wonderfully talented Lauren Graham (“Gilmore Girls”). Additionally, the patriarch and the matriarch of the family are played by two strong performers: Craig T. Nelson (“Coach”) and Bonnie Bedelia (who you may recall played Bruce Willis’ wife in the first two “Die Hard” movies). Even the guest stars are strong actors, including Jason Ritter (“Joan of Arcadia”) and Minka Kelly (“Friday Night Lights”).

One of the few faults is that sometimes too many storylines are jammed into the short episodes. It is easy to become overwhelmed. However, the show grows on you if you are willing to invest time in following it. There are some weak minor plots on the show. For instance, did the show really need to dedicate time to focus on how much time one of the teenage boys spends in the bathroom? Does the show really need to focus on who is faking what in the bedroom? Such plotlines take away from the other much stronger family stories.

Overall though, “Parenthood” is a really great show and definitely worth checking out even if you’re not a parent.

Well, maybe she’s found some.

On paper, “The Proposal” sounds like more of the same; another concept-driven, fish-out-of-water romantic comedy. And that it is, but thanks to a solid script and winning performances from Bullock and co-star Ryan Reynolds, this coming weekend offers one of the better romantic comedies of the last few years.

“The Proposal” doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but built around the expected are a number of entertaining, very well written and performed scenes which create a believable central relationship you root for. The laughs are consistent, and though some are milked from contrived situations, most are earned honestly through realistic reactions from well-developed characters. Beneath it all beats a heart of the best kind; the kind that sneaks up on you in the end as if to say, “Who knew I cared this much?”

Sandra Bullock is Margaret Tate, the editor-in-chief of a high-end, New York publishing firm. She’s also a stone cold witch who intimidates and bullies her assistant associate secretary, Andrew (Reynolds), to the point that not once during the three long years he’s worked for her has he been able to lower his guard in her presence. She’s brittle, demanding and impossible to please even when he accomplishes the impossible, anticipating her every want and need.

Margaret is Canadian and the combination of her arrogance and ambition has suddenly put her on the fast-track to deportation. Out of legal options, the only way to keep her job and stay in the country is to marry a U.S. citizen. Enter Andrew, who pops his head in the door and finds himself the only available male in the room.

Obviously Andrew’s doesn’t want to marry Margaret, but the reality is that if she’s deported her replacement’s sure to fire him making the years of hell under her all for nothing. She’ll be in Canada and he’ll be out on the street starting from scratch. With their fates tied and a suspicious immigration official sniffing around, they have only a few days to get to know each other well enough to pass muster as a married couple. So it’s off to Sitka, Alaska, and a weekend with Andrew’s family and a whole lot of deception.

First off, I want to warn our entitled Leftist friends used to fifteen years of Hollywood catering to their mean-spiritedness that there are no Sarah Palin jokes. *so sorry* Secondly, Thank God there are no Sarah Palin jokes. Not one. She’s never mentioned or even hinted at.  Whether this was the product of rare Hollywood restraint or having the film in the can before the election, who knows, but Thank God there are no Sarah Palin jokes because my wife would’ve walked out and then there’s no review.

Another pleasant surprise is how generous the film is in portraying the citizens of Alaska. Audience expectations and those of Margaret are constantly played for laughs as, one by one, tired stereotypes of small town Americans falls by the wayside. In other words, unless you’re one of those entitled Leftists, no spell-breaking sucker punches await.

The plot and situations are boilerplate. If you’ve seen Bullock’s 1995 “While You Were Sleeping,” you’ve pretty much seen second and third act of this. But Bullock’s charm and some excellent dialogue really make things soar over the seen-it-all-before spots. The biggest revelation, however, is Ryan Reynolds who’s absolutely marvelous, perfectly underplaying every moment for maximum laughs. Other than as Chris O’Donnell’s replacement, Reynolds has never hit my radar before, but this may well be remembered as his breakout performance.

“Office” fans will recognize Oscar Nunez, who has a few choice scenes as Ramone, Sitka’s storekeeper and exotic dancer, Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen aren’t given enough to do as Andrew’s parents but still manage to make an impression, but in the film’s more tiresome scenes – even the great Betty White can’t add much to the played-out earthy old grandmother character.

As a quick aside, I want to mention an impressive and marvelously crafted subplot involving Andrew’s former girlfriend Gertrude, who’s played by Malin Akerman. Without a moment of melodrama or word of exposition, screenwriter Peter Chiarelli creates a very real and poignant choice for Andrew. There’s even a moment when he clearly has this choice to make but never once is it played the way you expect or have seen so many times before. And there are at least three beautifully crafted, memorable scenes; poignant, funny, heartfelt…

Chiarelli had to work within the necessary conventions of a marketable genre, but still a real talent shines through.