turn on your radio in the 1960s . you will get deluge with surfin music from your favorite station . the beach boy and jan and dean and and a dozen other group be sing about surf . go to the movie . there bobby darren and annette funicello and and sally field on the beach and soakin up some ray ( we hadn not hear about sun block or skin cancer yet . ) and rid the wave in some quickie production whip out for the saturday night drive in movie crowd . like everyone else i be vicariously into the surfer culture . it be irresistible . we know all about rid pipeline and and the green cathedral drop the lid on ya . we know that wave set come in cycle of seven and and that seventh wave be the most powerful . we learn everything there be to know about surf from jan and dean when they sing ride the wild surf . it take a lotta skill and courage unknown and to catch the last wave and ride it in alone . there be only one thing wrong with all of this . most of u surfer be in place like nebraska and and we would never see the ocean and let alone ride the wave . we wouldn not have know the skeg of a surfboard from our own butt . the mindless fun of the surfin craze die a the world move on . the ugliness of a war in southeast asia grab our attention and and the summer of love urge everyone to wear flower in their hair in haight asbury . whatever happen to the surfer culture in california after the attention of the rest of the world turn away . that the question big wednesday answer . a one character in the film say and nobody surf forever . this isn not a film like beach blanket bingo . the beach party eventually end and everyone have to grow up sometime . that what big wednesday be all about . the film follow three friend . matt ( jan michael vincent ) and leroy the masochist ( gary busey ) and and jack ( william katt ) . theyre among the top surfer around and and a the bear ( sam melville ) put it . . they can be the one who draw the line . they can distinguish themselves . this be a come of age movie . it gently and lovingly examine all of the milepost in these three life . the wedding and the acceptance of the responsibility of adulthood and the path through life that cause the three friend to go their own separate way and the death . but all this time there one point of commonality while the sea . everything relate to it in the end . once a surfer and always a surfer . not to be miss be the sequence where matt and jack and leroy be order to report for their army draft physicals . anybody who have to go thru that craziness during the vietnam era will immediately relate to the clash of bureaucratic insanity that try to induct these guy and versus the creative insanity of the prospective inductee who desperately try to escape the army dragnet . gentleman and follow the yellow line on the floor . and gentleman and i assure you . it do not lead to the land of oz . the most interesting character in the film be the bear ( sam melville ) . he sort of a surfer guru and the wise old man who represent the old school surfer and pass on the lore and tradition of the past to this new generation . he make their board and and impart the essence of the surfer culture . in bear shop we see framed black and white photo of bear in his young day and surf rincon on the early 1950s . we also see a velvet cover frame on the wall that contain a bronze star while presumably and the bear be part of the generation that be take from the beach to serve in korea . whenever there a moral or ethical question and it the bear that have the answer . at bear wedding and everyone drink to the bride and groom and except jack and who be a nondrinker . bear urge him to break with tradition just this once . he point out that the toast be to friendship and and your friend be the most valuable thing you will ever have . when matt neglect his responsibility to his wife and daughter and be well on the way to become an irresponsible and alcoholic bum and it the bear who set him straight again . in a world of craziness and act on impulse and the bear be an anchor for them all . a role model that never change or fail them . we see the clash of culture a the three surfer grow old . theyre become part of the past a the new wave of druggies and the psychedelic generation replace the surfer in the public consciousness . even in surf the new generation have no respect for the old while in a surfing movie and a sequence feature matt be ridicule by the audience while the old timer have be replace by jerry lopez and the new generation champion surfer . the world move on . in the end . we see the final triumph . legend talk about a big surf and so powerful that it will wipe everything before it clean . bear talk about it . and it finally come and on big wednesday . the new generation be there to challenge the power of nature and lead by lopez . and the three friend come together for one last ride . the water photographic unit get some amazing stuff and probably the best surfing footage ever shot . frankly and i be amaze that nobody die to get it . the film have the ring of reality to it and a it should . the director and john milius and be part of the 60 surfer generation and so the film be sort of autobiographical . big wednesday be work of love and execute with skill and intelligence . thumb up all the way .