Swept Away!

BaywatchSometimes after a tragic event it’s therapeutic to simply relax and take a break. Movies can provide escape from the trauma and toll that the day to day grind of ordinary living generates. Let your hair down and share in the laughter that Baywatch generates. Fresh fun by way of Paramount Pictures comes your way in this hilarious crowd-pleaser now causing waves at the International Village Cinemas and Cineplex Cinemas across land-locked British Columbia.

Summer is here! Hooray. Who better than Dwayne Johnson (San Andreas) to revive the aura that David Hasselhoff created in perhaps the most watched television series of all time. Transitions from the small boob tube to Hollywood screens are fraught with danger. Not so here. Right from the opening moments you sense The Rock’s presence and the writers here do not disappoint for a second.

Our newly minted Mitch is the perfect man to head the lifeguard crew on a sunny California beach. Ever ready for action these sleek and fit athletes have their water wings tested constantly. So much so that some new recruits are needed to help fill out the team

Lots of laughs are generated as a few prospects finally make the grade. Among the chosen ones are an out of shape loser and an ego driven arrogant sob played with zeal by Zack Efron (Neighbours). Whether this new team can gel is the six-million-dollar question as our favorite watering haunt finds itself in a heap of trouble as criminals seem to be riding roughshod over the Bay.

Enormous laughs abound in this whimsical breezy treat. No one other than Johnson could pull this movie off. Quite simply thanks to the crisp original writing and whimsical spirit you buy into this swimming soufflé.  Lots of finely buffed men and women add to the visual voyeuristic appeal of this tale that also examines the state of corruption that weighs heavily on our beachside heroes. And with Johnson in full hero mode there is no one better you’d want to have on your side when the going gets tough – and the laughs start hurting your funny bone.