MGM / 2008 / 97 Minutes / Unrated / Street Date: July 14, 2009
Featuring some of volleyball’s greatest champions, Beach Kings stars David Charvet as Cameron Day, a former college basketball star with one last shot at greatness – the professional beach volleyball tour. Athletically gifted and hungry to learn, Cameron has his eyes on the championship and on elusive beauty, Mia (Torrey DeVitto). But first, Cameron must face the demons of his troubled past that may keep him from his prize.
Sexy volleyball talent on the beach mixed with some drama is just something I happen to like along with most “road movies,” or films with people running for their lives. Many of the men in the film are actual pros or recently retired pros, including the writer/ director, Paul Nihipali himself, so portions of the plot and the volleyball action have an authenticity. Even if their acting chops are faintly onthe trying-to-hard side, the ladies here are impossibly beautiful in their bikinis, and their flirtation is always fun to watch (there should have been more). But does this labor of love and inside knowledge of the sport make a great film?
Despite some confident direction including some nice style and pacing, the plot can feel a tad forced. While Cameron works hard at volleyball, some things come to him a bit easily. How did Cameron quickly get a nice apartment…right on the beach’s boardwalk when he complains about being poor? David Charvet is shorter than all the volleyball guys and really not a star player, but he’s accepted right into their world, and some of the other talent seek him out as a partner! Some of the back stabbing is a little overkill, though perhaps understandable.
Thankfully most of the supporting roles work fine, such as cranky Jason Olive (“Boo!”) and flippant Tanja Reichert. It’s also nice to see some other stars pop up now and again such as the energetic Jaleel White as Cameron’s boss. Wasting the talent of Wilson Cruz, who’s probably just cashing a paycheck, Nihipali shamefully wrote or cast him as a lisping, feminine art gallery idiot (groan). Torrey DeVitto as the thoughtful love interest, Mia, is impossibly gorgeous and naturally displays some of the better acting.
David Charvet (Baywatch,`90s Melrose Place), reminiscent of a younger Michael Biehn (Terminator), works fine as the handsome lead and certainly knows the beats of acting better than many in the cast. Cameron is a nice if weak-willed guy with whom to empathize to a point. However, if the lead doesn’t have a some secret wildside, it can drain blood from his character, and Charvet’s Cameron is a wee bit too plain and nice rather then…why not also add brutal and ornery elements to his character? It sure would have given the film a needed shot in the arm, but I digress.
A few twists, some sprinkles of comedy, great looking people, some fun moments during competitions, and lots of volleyball practice on the beach make the show an easy watch. So if you are interested in that and don’t expect some ground-breaking film, this easy breezy fun flick ain’t half bad.
The film is not rated, and with no nudity or sex, rarely any harsh language and no violence, it’s a safe bet that this material falls into the PG category perhaps based on some adult themes.
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