Following in the commercial wake of Four Weddings, Shallow Grave and The Madness Of King George comes another British movie that proves to be sparklingly entertaining and a surefire bet to fill the nation's cushioned seatage. Set in the growing Cornish surfing community, Blue Juice centres around JC (Pertwee), a champion wave rider whose carefree existence is hampered by the imminent arrival of his 30th birthday and the prospect of commitment to his girlfriend Chloe (Zeta Jones). Matters are further complicated when his London chums - drug-dealing loser Dean (McGregor, grungy), rave mogul Josh (Steven Mackintosh, boyish) and dull, engaged publican Terry (Peter Gunn, hilarious) - appear uninvited at his ramshackle caravan, surfboards in hand.
Friendships and loyalties are inevitably tested, and the obligatory lessons learned, as Terry discovers illegal substances, Josh is dealt a sharp lesson for remixing one tune too many, and Dean looks set to ruin the already shaky relationship between JC and Chloe. Events culminate in a genuinely thrilling surfers-in-peril finalé that's as good as anything you might see in a movie a hundred times as expensive.
Although this may sometimes appear to be simply a bawdy soap opera, first-time director Prechezer injects such joie de vivre into proceedings that it scarcely matters. The healthy-looking cast are clearly enjoying themselves, the surfing scenes more than stimulate the adrenal gland, and the sun-soaked, blokey camaraderie and broad comedy easily carry things through to the predictably feel good conclusion.