An all time classic. Great surfing, good acting (apart from William Katt, a tad woody). Very touching acting by Jan Michel Vincent and Gary Busey funny as hell. They are both absolutely outstanding, the highlights of the movie. Lovely characters by Sam Melville and Lee Purcell. A great story of friendship, coming of age and perpetual summer life in the 60' and 70', through transition, social change and Vietnam war on the backdrop of their love of surfing. The coming of age is slightly simplified and a few stereotypes appear here and there, but the movie is constructed with great skill and it never gets cheesy. One of those films where pacing, character description, filming, editing and soundtrack have no technical flaws. Unlike a lot of stuff coming out today, badly written, badly shot and filled with useless CGI in the attempt of replacing the absence of a good script.The story is full of love for the characters, you feel empathy with every single one of them all along. I need to watch it now and again, it just makes me feel good.

This is one of my favourite films of all time. It has such a feel good factor that I get it out and watch it at least three times a year and have done since I was kid, surfing with my friends in Cornwall in the early eighties. Following the lives of three friends from 1962 to the "great swell" of 1974, this is a beautifully shot movie with warm characters that you grow to really care about. From the opening credits with, believe it or not, the wonderfully mellow voice-over provided by Robert England, to the final mega surfing scene the story pulls you in with it's glorious scenery, great acting and superbly shot surfing scenes. Based around Milius's own experiences this is a classic and in my opinion, the best surfing film ever made.

I can't say enough good things about this film. It's poignant, funny, intelligent, and beautifully filmed. It really captures the feeling of the California surf culture quite well. It makes you feel like you can hear the waves outside as soon as the movie ends. Perhaps the beginning surfer party goes on a bit long, and yes there is a Tijuana scene that's a bit pointless too, but the movie gets stronger as it goes along. There is an interesting Vietnam War crossover in a recruiting 'barracks' - the surf guys come up with all sorts of outrageous ways to get out of going to Vietnam. Some of their antics work (like a Nazi regalia outfit, or JMV's injured leg), and others don't (Waxer's failed 'homosexual'). The crux of the movie really relies on William Katt and Jan Michael Vincent. They seem to be the closest buddies in the film, and the movie revolves around their changing and sometimes turbulent relationship - the common thread being their love of surfing. William Katt (Jack) is more of a straight-arrow character, whereas Vincent's (Matt) is frighteningly like his true off screen persona (a drunk who ends up sleeping on the beach - which actually happened to him!). Jack goes off to war willingly - and Matt stays behind, uncomfortable with the strangeness of the 60's culture around him. Jack returns from the war in one piece - and the first thing he does is go out to the ocean to find Matt and surf. The film ends in the 70's with the 'Big Wednesday' moment - a gigantic swell on the coast. All three buddies (can't forget about the unforgettable Gary Busey in this!) all meet at their usual beach and surf better than ever. They part ways at the end. Jan Michael Vincent is very good in this film, but in a quiet way. He's a pensive character. He has a great emotional scene at a cemetery, mourning a lost friend in the war. His brooding eyes carry the film - and you are always watching him and his reactions throughout. He also actually does a lot of his own surfing in the film, as did Busey and Katt. Katt is excellent as well - I wish he'd done more films like this one!

Big Wednesday has major weaknesses as a coming of age film which are made up for by some excellent surfing scenes, particularly towards the end. The plot, or whatever passes for a plot is trite and contrived - quite direction-less. Ideas and coming of age memories of the script writers seem to have been banded together with poor sense of characterization. The idea of showing a character aging by having a ridiculous mustache doesn't show a lot of maturity.However, surfing is at the soul of this film. The last 20 minutes are so good that even those not familiar with the sport would be intrigued. I can understand this being a cult favorite for surfers. The Vietnam drafting section was also something I hadn't seen in a film before and I found it educational.