Where to watch Big Wednesday
2 Stars
Matt Johnson, Jack Barlow, and Leroy Smith are three young California surfers in the 1960s. At first reveling in the carefree life of beaches, girls, and waves, they eventually must face the fact that the world is changing, becoming more complex, less answerable by simple solutions. Ultimately the Vietnam war interrupts their idyll, leaving them to wonder if they will survive until “Big Wednesday,” the mythical day when the greatest, cleanest, most transcendent wave of all will come.
The poster for Big Wednesday is one I’ve seen in dozens of music stores and head shops throughout my life. It typically hangs on the wall between The Wild Bunch and Reservoir Dogs. The image on the one-sheet is of three bare-chested and lean-muscled guys holding their surfboards and gazing unsurely at something out off camera. I don’t have anything against Suring or movies about the culture. I’ve enjoyed The Endless Summer, Point Break, Blue Crush, and Back to the Beach. I also appreciate the films of John Milius, the man who wrote and directed this picture. I can’t explain why it has taken me until now to watch the thing.
Big Wednesday has evolved into a counterculture icon amongst beach bums and cinephiles, and while that must have been retroactively pleasing to Milius, I just don’t get it. This movie was produced and released in 1978 and is visually similar to films from 1965, which is when this story takes place. Unfortunately, the marvelous writing and filmmaking bravado that Milius became known for isn’t much present, outside of a couple of lines and shots, in this ode to California life as the end of the 1960s nears. The three physically fit lead actors come off poorly; the awkward exchanges among the trio and amateurish behavior make them almost unbearable when the intent is to make us care. However, the film’s finale is so good that when Big Wednesday concludes, it fools you into fondly thinking about the film. The last 20 minutes is the only thing that works in the movie. While muddled and outdated the film presents intolerable characters and a dull plot.
Directed by: John Milius
Written by: John Milius, Dennis Aaberg
Starring: Jan-Michael Vincent, William Katt, Gary Busey