Surfer dudes Down Under

Director Greg Browning tracks several of today’s top surfers on an RV caravan in search of sweet swell Down Under. This third installment in the “Drive-Thru” series is the cleanest in terms of cinematic presentation, wave action, music and clowning camera asides from Rob Machado, Donovan Frankenreiter, Benji Weatherly and others.

Every road trip has its pit stops and this one’s an appearance by Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter. As a crowd watches, Irwin ushers the surfers onto the banks of a pond where crocs leer. It’s a stilted encounter, as these professional risk-takers gingerly step amid jaws for the movie.

Still, the film brings on a warm, fuzzy feeling with its crisp footage of surfing artistry. And though staged events make them squirm, the surfers are comfortable with the camera, and on-screen antics emerge naturally from their good-natured running commentary.

-- Emmett Berg