SIMPLE PLEASURES

Imagine you've been on the road for 15 hours, anticipating epic surf conditions. You walk to the beach, warm sand under your feet, the sun's rays glistening on the surface of the water. Everything seems perfect. Well, almost...the water is dead calm. No waves as far as the eye can see. What do you do?

No worries! In "Sweet Adventure," surf pros Albee Layer and Matt Meola and pro skateboarder Nora Vasconcellos, provide us with a few ideas on how to approach this problem. Make friends with the locals and hop into an ice bath with them. Head into the jungle to see a waterfall. Enjoy fresh coconut water straight from the coconut. Dance until dawn and feed the spider monkeys, which you didn't even know existed here.

This is what adventure is all about—being open to everything. Selema Masekela, U.S. sportscaster legend and narrator of "Sweet Adventure," feels the same. And no matter what befalls our three intrepid adventurers on their journey, Selema always has a well-timed quip. The three surfers spent far too much time on the couch at home during the pandemic and needed to get out of their comfort zone.

With "Sweet Adventure," director Peter Hamblin offers us a humorous, multifaceted road trip with plenty of surf breaks. With his distinctive style, he could possibly be considered the Wes Anderson of surf films. Films like "RISS" and "Let's Be Frank" have made him famous in the scene. He even won an EMMY for the latter in 2017.

Their desire for new waves and a journey into the unknown leads them to El Salvador, where nothing goes to plan. Unexpected possibilities unfold, both on land and on the water, and in the end, the Pacific keeps its promise. With a little patience, the world-class surfers find exactly the world-class waves they were seeking on the 300-kilometer-long coast.

Ultimately, when you're back on your couch at home, you remember so much more than just the waves. The spontaneous encounters. The unplanned experiences. The spider monkeys. That’s where the magic happens. And you'll remember "Sweet Adventure" just as fondly as you did your last travel adventure with friends. You just might reach for your phone right now and plan your next trip together...