Soul Surfer Movie Review from Nanny

[nannygirl]

^I think it may have been a little bit of both Carrie's inexperience and the director not doing his job, to be totally honest. But, hey, maybe Carrie was portraying the right emotion. I just thought that since Sarah and Bethany were supposedly "best friends" she would show more emotion, not less.

 

[pklongbeach]

Also, you take casting into consideration.
I'm sure the casting director along with the film director took Carrie into consideration and decided that she was right for the part.
This is turning out to be no small film. Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, these actors auditioned and were given these roles. Carrie as well.
I think it is safe to assume that they did not choose her just to get a big name. Clearly in the film industry Hunt/Quaid are the big names here.
So it must have been Carrie herself. And casting directors jobs are to find the right "type' of personality for a certain character.
If you line up todays young actresses to compare them the diversity is quite extensive and it is the casting directors job to find the one that best suits the character.
I am all the more intrigued to see how she does, but I am probably having a knee-jerk response to the history of reports that say Carrie "under-emotes" and yet the entire nation continues to respect her and pay attention to her.
I'm hoping I identify with the character, but regardless you know I am going to be honest.
And can I say, you, Nanny, have been very good about deflecting all of our "knee-jerk" responses with grace and poise. You must be tired of our rebutels by now.

 

[nannygirl]

Also, you take casting into consideration.
I'm sure the casting director along with the film director took Carrie into consideration and decided that she was right for the part.
This is turning out to be no small film. Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, these actors auditioned and were given these roles. Carrie as well.
I think it is safe to assume that they did not choose her just to get a big name. Clearly in the film industry Hunt/Quaid are the big names here.
So it must have been Carrie herself. And casting directors jobs are to find the right "type' of personality for a certain character.
If you line up todays young actresses to compare them the diversity is quite extensive and it is the casting directors job to find the one that best suits the character.
I am all the more intrigued to see how she does, but I am probably having a knee-jerk response to the history of reports that say Carrie "under-emotes" and yet the entire nation continues to respect her and pay attention to her.
I'm hoping I identify with the character, but regardless you know I am going to be honest.
And can I say, you, Nanny, have been very good about deflecting all of our "knee-jerk" responses with grace and poise. You must be tired of our rebutels by now.

Well, my Vietnamese name means "swan" and they're pretty graceful. Thanks.

I would like to point out that Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt were hand-picked as the two people the casting and production people wanted but thought they would not get. In fact, both Hunt's and Quaid's people said no. It was only after Dennis saw an interview with Bethany on TV, and Helen discovered a buddy of hers was writing for the film that they showed any interest at all, and were signed to be in the movie. I don't know what went into Carrie's casting choice, but that is what I heard about Dennis and Helen. And my source is in fact reliable, because he is the vice president of the production company that produced this movie (or one of them, it's an off-shoot of Sony, the same one that produced Fireproof). He was at my pre-screening, and he told us various stories as we were filling out the survey cards.

Plus, if you look at the advertising of this film, I've only seen it as "Carrie Underwood's film debut." Not just on articles posted here, either. I Google it, and it's either Carrie or AnnaSophia. Even in the articles, Carrie's picture is used. I'm not saying they picked her just because she is a big name, but that may have been a factor.

 

[oldyfan]

Carrie sings with the choir. She does not have a solo. There is one line of the song that you can hear Carrie above everyone else, but that is all. Like I said, pay close attention.

Haha, thank you, Kayla. I did not have an editor.

Also, as I mentioned before, Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for her debut performance. Yes, she is one of few, but she still did it.

Nanny, the problem with comparing Jennifer Hudson winning an Oscar is that the role she played was well suited for her singing. It was a different kind of movie, and she has a completely different personality than Ms. Carrie. Not a dig on you, just a reminder that you can't compare Jennifer and Ms. Carrie's acting...just like you can't compare their singing.

 

[jbrown]

Thanks for your review. I cant wait to see this movie. I am going in with an open mind and to remind myself that this is her first movie role and tried to do her best inspite of her shyness and reserved personality.

 

[allirishgirl]

nanny as you know i read this very long review on twitter yesterday & thank you for sharing

 

[teesharky]

Do we know if the movie will be released overseas yet?

 

[opry051008]

I'm trying not to read the review until after I've seen the movie so this may have already been addressed but do we get a Carrie song in the movie?

 

[allirishgirl]

Do we know if the movie will be released overseas yet?

when we find out.................LET ME KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm trying not to read the review until after I've seen the movie so this may have already been addressed but do we get a Carrie song in the movie?

doesnt look like it nanny said Carrie sings for a bit in the movie.....just once

 

[pklongbeach]

Well, my Vietnamese name means "swan" and they're pretty graceful. Thanks.

I would like to point out that Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt were hand-picked as the two people the casting and production people wanted but thought they would not get. In fact, both Hunt's and Quaid's people said no. It was only after Dennis saw an interview with Bethany on TV, and Helen discovered a buddy of hers was writing for the film that they showed any interest at all, and were signed to be in the movie. I don't know what went into Carrie's casting choice, but that is what I heard about Dennis and Helen. And my source is in fact reliable, because he is the vice president of the production company that produced this movie (or one of them, it's an off-shoot of Sony, the same one that produced Fireproof). He was at my pre-screening, and he told us various stories as we were filling out the survey cards.

Plus, if you look at the advertising of this film, I've only seen it as "Carrie Underwood's film debut." Not just on articles posted here, either. I Google it, and it's either Carrie or AnnaSophia. Even in the articles, Carrie's picture is used. I'm not saying they picked her just because she is a big name, but that may have been a factor.

Yeah, I have definately noticed that Carries name is being used alot in relation to the promos.
But I am gonna go out on a limb and say that they chose Carrie for reasons other than the potencial promo.
I think after they realized how much buzz was being generated regarding Carrie, they may have allowed that angle to permiate. But I get the feeling that that was a very fortunate after-affect.
It didn't really feel like the promoters were making a big deal about it early on but as the promo machine has been churning, Carrie seems to be a focal point.
I am thrilled about that, but I would hate the think that she was cast just to get the film some buzz.
It just feels like the film was made for purposes other than just profit.
"But profit helps!"

 

[12russ79]

Whether they picked Carrie for her name is beside the point to me. Carrie didnt choose to do it for Pub she choose to do it because of the compelling story and subject matter im sure! When you go outside your comfort zone and put yourself out there to be judged your taking a risk but your also living big time!! Nanny your reveiw just makes me want to see the movie more!! And when i do see it ill come back to this thread and give you a much more informed opinion on your reveiw!! I do have a question though. Was this reveiw just intended for twitter or did you always intend to post it here also? Just so you know i think your very witty and could easily do this as a career if you wanted to!!

 

[lab]

Well we will all make our own judgements regarding Carrie's acting when we see the movie. And we may or may not agree with this review. But I do have one comment. There are a number of statements indicating that Carrie was not portraying the expected emotion in a scene. However if that was the case, it is the responsibility of the director to call her on it and do the scene again. They know Carrie has had little acting experience and that she would likely require a lot of guidance from the director. So either she played the scene the way it was intended or the director did not do his job.

I agree with you. So, we will see on April 08, 2011. I know Carrie CAN EXPRESS AND PRODUCE GREAT EMOTION IN HER SONGS, "EVERY SUBTLE NUANCE OF FEELING", no matter how far removed from her daily life it may seem to be. I saw THAT in her acting in "Temporary Home Music Video", WITH OR WITHOUT using much of a dialogue. I saw THAT in Carrie's acting in the trailer and in the PREVIOUSLY LEAKED FIRST TRAILER. Let us judge it FOR OURSELVES WHEN WE SEE THE MOVIE.

 

[carebear4eva]

Oh, come of it, guys, does it really matter?? We're all gonna love her to death anyway!!! Let's just wait till Apr8, go check her out ourselves, and make our own opinions and conclusions.


But, whil we're at it, will SS get an international release? I really don't want to have to download a pirated version of Carrie's film!!! I'm thinking it won't have an immediate inetrnational release, they'll proably wait to see how well it is received in America, and then decide whether itd be a good idea to screen it overseas in, say, DUBAI.... WHICH MEANS IT'S UP TO YOU GUYS TO GIVE IT GOOD RATINGS AND BOX-OFFICE RECEPTIONS!!! PLEASSEEEEEEE

 

[carriefan06]

i would would go see the movie first just to see what you are seeing on screen matches
what the person is saying about the movie

 

[pklongbeach]

Oh, come of it, guys, does it really matter?? We're all gonna love her to death anyway!!! Let's just wait till Apr8, go check her out ourselves, and make our own opinions and conclusions.


But, whil we're at it, will SS get an international release? I really don't want to have to download a pirated version of Carrie's film!!! I'm thinking it won't have an immediate inetrnational release, they'll proably wait to see how well it is received in America, and then decide whether itd be a good idea to screen it overseas in, say, DUBAI.... WHICH MEANS IT'S UP TO YOU GUYS TO GIVE IT GOOD RATINGS AND BOX-OFFICE RECEPTIONS!!! PLEASSEEEEEEE

I think, early on, a film has a certain marketing budget and unless something about it really causes a studio to change course they will stick to the plan.
This film is already in limited release here in the states, and they have done alot of testing of it to see what the public will think.
The good news is, most think the film looks beautiful and I think the public is responding to it and it is starting to feel like it is going to have a larger splash then they might have thought, just on the films merit.
But it would be highly unlikely that the studio would see that traslating into an international money maker. This is a small budget film and international marketng is tremendously expensive.
It's more likely that we will be sending you a dvd.
But only time will tell.

 

[nannygirl]

Whether they picked Carrie for her name is beside the point to me. Carrie didnt choose to do it for Pub she choose to do it because of the compelling story and subject matter im sure! When you go outside your comfort zone and put yourself out there to be judged your taking a risk but your also living big time!! Nanny your reveiw just makes me want to see the movie more!! And when i do see it ill come back to this thread and give you a much more informed opinion on your reveiw!! I do have a question though. Was this review just intended for twitter or did you always intend to post it here also? Just so you know i think your very witty and could easily do this as a career if you wanted to!!

Tee asked me for a "full review" (Mel, you can blame Tee if you thought it was "long") so I just posted it wherever I thought she would be able to find it (except the FC because if you guys are yelling at me, the mods would be crazy...haha, those mods are so protective of Carrie)! And, thank you. I may have to take that into consideration.

And, I totally agree! No matter what the motivation was for hiring Carrie (and it couldn't have been her name alone), I'm glad she was a part of this movie! It really is inspirational!

To DaisyTweets (I hope that's your name...sorry if I got it wrong) and any others who think I was too hard on Carrie, take my observation with a grain of salt. What I saw may not be what you will see. I even state that in my review, saying I may change my mind three months down the road. I do not think that I was nitpicking, but my friends do say that I am overly critical. So, as Tee said, if the only complaint I can make of Carrie was that she didn't show enough emotion in some scenes (which may have been what the director intended), then she must have been really good! As for the Jennifer Hudson comparison, again, I am sorry.

 

[lilstar]

Thanks so much for the review !! She said she got a lot of help from everyone as to what to do and how to do it. I keep going back to thinking that if she wasn't playing it like the director wanted, he would of had her correct it. I simply can not believe that is all he could get from her--She is in to doing things right, an very willing to take direction because she had no experience. She certainly has the talent ( Just A Dream, Temporary Home).--So, maybe that was the directors interpretation of how the scenes should play. --But yes----I wasn't expecting an Oscar earning job--not yet , anyway !!!!!

 

[allirishgirl]

Tee asked me for a "full review" (Mel, you can blame Tee if you thought it was "long") so I just posted it wherever I thought she would be able to find it (except the FC because if you guys are yelling at me, the mods would be crazy...haha, those mods are so protective of Carrie)! And, thank you. I may have to take that into consideration.

And, I totally agree! No matter what the motivation was for hiring Carrie (and it couldn't have been her name alone), I'm glad she was a part of this movie! It really is inspirational!

To DaisyTweets (I hope that's your name...sorry if I got it wrong) and any others who think I was too hard on Carrie, take my observation with a grain of salt. What I saw may not be what you will see. I even state that in my review, saying I may change my mind three months down the road. I do not think that I was nitpicking, but my friends do say that I am overly critical. So, as Tee said, if the only complaint I can make of Carrie was that she didn't show enough emotion in some scenes (which may have been what the director intended), then she must have been really good! As for the Jennifer Hudson comparison, again, I am sorry.

where is she?????/
wait til i give out to her!!!
ah to be honest nanny, i knew it was gonna be a long review i expected nothing less from ya!

also i wish i had spotted the typo!


lemme tell ya the mods over there make the FC a less than fun place to post at times......they need new ones.......fast!

 

[lab]

Thanks so much for the review !! She said she got a lot of help from everyone as to what to do and how to do it. I keep going back to thinking that if she wasn't playing it like the director wanted, he would of had her correct it. I simply can not believe that is all he could get from her--She is in to doing things right, an very willing to take direction because she had no experience. She certainly has the talent ( Just A Dream, Temporary Home).--So, maybe that was the directors interpretation of how the scenes should play. --But yes----I wasn't expecting an Oscar earning job--not yet , anyway !!!!!

I remember in the book "Soul Surfer" when Bethany Hamilton's brother, Noah, told Sarah Hill (Carrie) and when her phone rang at the Parking Lot of Hanalei Elementary School where she worked, "Sarah, Bethany's been attacked by a shark!" Noah sounded breathless and terrified : SARAH TRIED "TO REMAIN CALM FOR NOAH", but, SHE COULD NOT BELIEVE HER EARS. We should realize that Carrie is a "YOUTH COUNSELOR/YOUTH PASTOR" in her CHARACTER. Maybe some people in the audience will PICK THAT UP as UNDERACTING.


Carrie's character should have all the depth and complexity of a real Youth Counselor/Youth Pastor. Expression of feeling or tone in a dialogue of "SUBTLE SHADES". There will be a SUBTLE or SLIGHT DEGREE OF DIFFERENCE, A CAREFUL GRADATION OF FEELING. You have to base your PERSPECTIVE on that and decide whether it is "A RICH ARTISTIC PERFORMANCE". Carrie's character HAS MORE "CONSTRAINTS" THAN "Anna Sophia Robb", "Helent Hunt" and "Dennis Quaid". In Carrie's character, there will be, MOSTLY "CHARACTER SUBTLETIES". And there will be MORE "OPERATIC PERFORMANCE", SO TO SPEAK, in the characters of "Anna Sophia Robb", "Helent Hunt" and "Dennis Quaid". They have SCENE, with MUCH MORE INTENSE ...... HIGHLIGHTING "THE EMOTIONAL EFFECT OF THE TRAGEDY" which in my opinion, WILL GIVE THESE THREE CHARACTERS "AN ADVANTAGE" in "AN OSCAR EARNING JOB"!!!!

 

[nannygirl]

^The thing with that though is, and I do not remember if I mentioned this in my review, that Sarah and Bethany shared a look in the scene where Carrie sings in the choir, so it was odd to see Sarah being "cold" later when they were practically alone. Again, just my thoughts guys.