Just Hear Me Out: Matt The Jock Football Player Is The Worst Part Of ‘Blue Crush’
Every summer, I rewatch Blue Crush.
To me, it’s always been a perfect movie. Surfing! Female friendship! Kate Bosworth! Until my most recent viewing, I was of the firm belief that Blue Crush was a flawless film — but then, I started paying attention to Matt.
If you haven’t seen Blue Crush, the plot is essentially this: Hawaiian local surfer girl Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth) is about to compete in the Pipeline Masters, which would be a huge deal for anyone but is an especially huge deal for her, because she almost drowned while surfing three years ago — the incident still haunts her. In the days leading up to the competition, Anne Marie meets Matt (Matthew Davis), a professional footballer who’s staying at the hotel where Anne Marie and her friends (Michelle Rodriguez and Sanoe Lake) work as housekeeping staff (or, maids, as they refer to themselves in the movie). Drama ensues!
On first glance, Blue Crush is a typical rom-com with various complications and a final scene that sees the Anne Marie and Matt together at last. Fine, sure, whatever. My issue with Blue Crush isn’t with rom-com tropes, but with the character of Matt who, by all accounts, just… sucks.
Throughout the film there are several moments I can only describe as red flags — things I wish Anne Marie had noticed in time to give this dude the flick. Let’s discuss some of the worst Matt moments, shall we?
When Matt tells Anne Marie that she will have to come up to his hotel room if she wants to be paid for her surfing lesson.
For reasons unknown, Matt — the person who asked for paid surf lessons — did not bring the money to pay for said lessons to the actual lesson. Instead, he gets Anne Marie to drop him back to his hotel afterwards and says that the money is “in his room”. While he eventually offers to go get the money himself, and bring it back down for her, it’s after a whole lot of trying to convince her to come upstairs with him (which she eventually does, for what it’s worth).
When he tells Anne Marie — a former maid at the hotel — that he hides the valuables he keeps in his room.
As Matt goes to get Anne Marie the money she is rightfully owed, we see that he’s hidden the cash in the back of his wardrobe — seemingly so the hotel’s staff won’t steal it. Way to be subtle, Matt.
When Matt pre-pays for a week’s worth of surf lessons, even though the Pipe Masters are in less than a week.
Make it make sense! This is especially shitty because he knows that Anne Marie isn’t in a position to turn down the cash, after she originally offered to do the lessons for just $15 an hour. To hand over $1000 in cash with the request that she somehow make time to give him one-on-one lessons is incredibly selfish.
When Matt calls a Hawaiian local “brah”.
Okay, this one he actually gets called out for. When a group of local surfers find that Anne Marie has taken Matt to a locals-only surf spot, things get heated. The tension really escalates when Matt calls Drew (played by Hawaiian actor Chris Taloa) “brah”, a Hawaiian pidgin term that’s commonly appropriated by white Americans. He! Sucks!
When he invites Anne Marie to a party THE NIGHT BEFORE the Pipe Masters!
Sure, this was also a bad call on Anne Marie’s part but what on EARTH was Matt thinking, inviting her along to a pretentious-as-hell party the night before the biggest surfing competition of her entire life? It’s also worth noting that he bought her a GOWN, new shoes, and what appears to be a diamond bracelet, so she could attend. It’s just weird!
When Matt compares a bad football game to Anne Marie nearly drowning.
At the Masters, Matt has the audacity to tell Anne Marie about a “bad hit” he experienced in a football game once, right after she… almost drowned. I mean, sure, it might have been brutal — I’m very aware that people can get seriously injured in the NFL — but considering that Anne Marie literally nearly died just three years ago, and nearly drowned AGAIN only a few minutes ago, it hardly seems like the time. I understand this is supposed to be a cute moment where Matt, a fellow athlete, inspires Anne Marie to get back out there, but personally, this little pep talk would have been the last thing I’d want if I was her.
Look, there have been worse dudes on TV. But still, Anne Marie deserved better, and I can only hope that if we ever get a sequel (I refuse to acknowledge Blue Crush 2) we will see her surfing and thriving with someone who is not Matt the footballer.