Verdict
Summary
Kino Lorber’s extremely welcome Blu-ray edition of North Shore comes in what I would consider a special edition package, with a new audio commentary by Phelps and Kleiser, plus on-camera interviews (conducted during COVID, so they’re Zoom interviews), deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the trailer. The transfer is an upgrade from the previous DVD edition from Universal, so this is a fan’s dream come true for sure. It will be available April 13th.
Plot:
Rick Kane (Matt Adler, Teen Wolf) is a teenage surf champion from Arizona who dreams of conquering the legendary waves off Oahu’s North Shore.
Review:
Arizona teen Rick Kane (Matt Adler from White Water Summer) has a dream to surf big waves in Hawaii – North Shore, specifically – and hopefully make his living off of sponsors. After graduating high school, he hops on a plane with $500.00 and is dropped in the deep end of reality: He’s in way over his head. Not only is he an amateur surfer compared to even the common locals, but after a robbery that leaves him bereft of his belongings, he’s left penniless and without a place to crash for the night. But he gets lucky: He sort of latches on to a goofy surfboard sander named Turtle (John Philbin), who introduces him to his boss, a local legend named Chandler (Gregory Harrison), who creates surf boards for all of the famous surfers. Chandler takes an immediate shine to Rick, and not only allows him to crash at his place with his family for a few months, but he also teaches him to surf. Rick soaks up the guru vibes and becomes a fixture on the island and gets into trouble with some locals, and he also finds time to attempt a romance with a cute local girl named Kiani (Nia Peeples), which gets complicated quick. With a big sponsored competition coming up, Rick decides to take the plunge and enter, and to everyone’s surprise he becomes a verifiable contender.
A perfectly breezy coming of age drama with some sweet surf footage and a real genuine Hawaiian atmosphere, North Shore came and went theatrically, but found a new life on home video and cable. Adler is just right in the lead role, and he’s surrounded by real-life surf legends, including Gerry Lopez, who shines as an antagonist and then an ally, and Laird Hamilton, who almost played He-Man in a Masters of the Universe sequel. Fun in every way. Surfing wouldn’t be this cool again until Blue Crush came along. From Randal Kleiser and William Phelps.
Kino Lorber’s extremely welcome Blu-ray edition of North Shore comes in what I would consider a special edition package, with a new audio commentary by Phelps and Kleiser, plus on-camera interviews (conducted during COVID, so they’re Zoom interviews), deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the trailer. The transfer is an upgrade from the previous DVD edition from Universal, so this is a fan’s dream come true for sure. It will be available April 13th.
