This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
06/08/2017 12:01 AMRated R
Popular in its heyday, the 1990s TV series Baywatch made stars David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson household names. The new film remake by director Seth Gordon (Identity Thief and Horrible Bosses) follows the same formula that the series followed—a lot of gratuitous slow-motion scenes of well-tanned and well-toned bodies running along the beach as asinine plot developments play out for the viewers. The difference here is that the film is meant to elicit laughs given that it’s a comedy remake of the cheesy television show, plus it includes large scale action scenes, as well as a lot of crude humor and language that rightfully earn its R rating.
Mitch Buchanan (Dwayne Johnson of San Andreas and G.I. Joe: Retaliation) is the dedicated leader of the lifeguards of Baywatch. They protect beachgoers at Emerald Bay, a beautiful ocean community to which people flock each day to enjoy the sun, the sand, and the water. Mitch can be found each day with his suntanned muscles exposed at Tower One, protecting the beachgoers and tallying up his rescue count, which is already well above 100.
Alongside Mitch are Stephanie Holden (Ilfenesh Hadera of Old Boy and Chi-Raq) and CJ Parker (Kelly Rohrbach of Broad City and Café Society), two other equally dedicated lifeguards of Baywatch, and a plethora of new wannabe recruits.
Each year, the Baywatch team is typically joined by one new member, but this year it has three spots to fill and hundreds of hopeful recruits. The annual obstacle course narrows the field down to its three finalists, with cocky newcomer and Olympic gold medal winner Matt Brody (Zac Efron of Dirty Grandpa and Neighbors), fit and well-prepared Summer Quinn (Alexandra Daddario of San Andreas and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters), and unfit, yet big-hearted technical genius Ronnie Greenbaum (Jon Bass of Loving and All Nighter) coming out on top of the pack.
Together, Brody, Summer, and Ronnie begin to train for their new roles, but it isn’t easy. On their very first day on the job, a distress call for a boat fire is called in and the body of a prominent city councilman named Rodriguez (Oscar Nunez of The Italian Job and The 33) is pulled from the fiery wreckage. Shortly after, a second body washes ashore, something incredibly uncommon in Emerald Bay.
The supposed facts of the two deaths do not add up for Mitch and, despite several stern warnings from his boss, Captain Thorpe (Rob Huebel of How to Be a Latin Lover and The Descendants), and a local police officer, Sergeant Ellerbee (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II of Sidney Hall and TV’s The Get Down), Mitch insists on investigating them personally.
Mitch and his fellow lifeguards find clues that lead them to suspect that a prominent new businesswoman in the area named Victoria Leeds (Priyanka Chopra of Don 2 and TV’s Quantico) may be behind a lot of the unlawful things that have been happening at Baywatch. Despite it being way outside of their jurisdiction as lifeguards, Mitch and his team probe Leeds’s properties looking for clues and attempting to avoid her two hired thugs.
For a film about lifeguards, there are far fewer beach lifesaving scenes than one would expect. Instead, the plot focuses heavily on two aspects—the bad blood relationship between Mitch and Brody, as well as the investigation into the criminal activity of Victoria Leeds. The relationship aspect between the two male lifeguards has its comical moments, but ultimately the shtick wears thin pretty quickly. The criminal aspect follows much the same pattern.
Stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron give their roles everything they’ve got. It’s hard not to like good-guy wrestler turned entertainment superstar Johnson, but even he can’t save Baywatch from drowning in its own foolishness.
Wanted: Your Opinion (In 10 Words or Fewer)
We’re always looking for the community’s input—and now we’re offering you a chance to share your opinion of the latest blockbusters, foreign films, indies, and romantic comedies to hit the big screen with your neighbors! Each week, we’ll print the best reader-submitted reviews in the Living section and online at www.zip06.com. Send your 10-word movie review to Living Editor Pem McNerney at p.mcnerney@shorepublishing.com along with your name and hometown and join the conversation!