User reviews

This is one of those movies where I feel like I'm the only person who has ever seen it. No one I know has ever talked about this film, I stumbled across it one time surfing through old school cable. I've always been a fan of Matthew Modine and while he's pretty good in this one, Jennifer Grey is at her very best. She's the brains and Matthew Modine is the ambition. Neither one can do much without the other, blah blah.

It's straight out of the late 80's and it's cheesy as hell, but I enjoy it every time I see it. I loved the Australian guys - party animals that sail like pirates, it's just fun.

It's one of those rare movies where nobody is tied to the mafia, nobody shoots anyone and nobody traffics a metric ton of cocaine out of Peru...and it's still fun to watch. Actually it would have been a lot better if it had those things, but hey I'll take what we got.

My father and I would stay up late to watch Dennis Conner win the America's Cup back from the Aussies in 1987 on ESPN. From that time on I became hooked on the sport of Yachting.

Perhaps for that reason I have always been drawn to "Wind." Like others it happens to be one of those movies that I enjoy watching over and over if it happens to be on television.

Yes, the plot is a bit formulaic and predictable, the acting not always sterling, but the film has very strong characterization and amazing cinematography, especially in the middle second act which I think is actually stronger than the very good sailing scenes.

There is an atmospheric and entrancing quality to these desert scenes, a kind of sleepy seduction to the sweep of the shots and the austerity of the environment. I always find it powerfully persuasive in its understated beauty and relaxed pacing.

This film may mark the end of Matthew Modine's arc as an '80s acting icon--"Cutthroat Island" perhaps being the more likely candidate--though he has consistently stayed employed. He always seemed an odd fit as a leading man but I enjoy him in the occasional character acting he now does. He is stronger in this role than he's given credit for, carrying several scenes well.

Cliff Robertson doesn't entirely phone this one in - the scenes where he has gone around the bend after losing the Cup are funny and well acted.

Taken on the strengths of the amazing cinematography, a nicely paced and composed, if predictable, plot, and fine acting make "Wind" easy to recommend.

But you best like movies about sailing.

This is undoubtedly interesting to anyone involved with sailing, however I wonder if it tells the real story. It is rather unbelievable that the US and Australian teams made such gross mistakes such as hitting a buoy or tearing each other spinnaker. It would be curious to know if these "details" have been added for sake of suspense and movie making. In addition, I find excessive the emphasis given to the American proud ("we are the best in the world and can overcome anything"). Humbleness does not seem to belong to the American team dictionary. Perhaps is this how one should be to win the America's Cup?

Despite its cheesy, Hollywood take on the America's Cup and its retelling of Dennis Conner's adventures 'on-the-other-side-of-the-pizza' this movie is not only beautiful eye-candy but more importantly it is exactly what they say in the movie: it's good, clean fun. If you're trying to get friends and family interested in taking a sail, this is one of the best tools to get the blood following yup, there are a lot of yachts, but there is the scene with the 14s. Enough excitement to dispel the idea of sailing as a laid-back sport. For the AC die-hards, its a chance to see the 12-meters in action once again, to hear the legendary PJ Montgomery comment on the races and read the tech/advisory credits which reads like an AC who's who list. So it isn't "real" or even possible (the 'whumper' is what kills it for some) but after all, you're looking at a movie. Enjoy it for what it is and appreciate the fact that this movie is the product of a love of sailing!

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Wind is a great look at the sport of competitive sailing and also contains a bit of insight into mechanical engineering and the process of design and development.

Matthew Modine is Will Parker, a good sailor who is slightly overconfident about his skills. He joins the crew for the America Cup, but his actions help to lose the nation's undefeated title to their tough Australian rivals. This was more than just a loss of the cup to the new world champions, but it also ended his relationship with girlfriend Kate Bass (Jennifer Grey) and sent the boat captain into a bout of depression.

But, Will Parker, with the next Cup race rolling around, Will Parker wants to reunite a team, and seeks the help of Kate and her new beau Joe (Stellan Skarsgård) to help him rebuild his confidence, his team, and a better boat. Will and his team challenge the Aussie's to defend their title for a second year.

Indeed, as another viewer wrote, the movie is rather long. But, the subject of the movie is really something different, and the photography is just beautiful as you get the first-person perspective of competitive sailing, and it really gives an appreciation of what all goes into the sport, even the traditions. Modine's character is a little annoying because he sometimes obnoxiously boasts his masculinity to Kate as though trying to show up her new boyfriend, Joe. It's worth catching if you can find it around.

While the sailing sequences were enjoyable to watch and well filmed, the rest of the movie was somewhat of a disappointment. It had some really good scenes and some exciting racing sequences, but the acting and dialog was pretty cheesy and poor outside of that, and the 'love story' aspect of the movie detracted from the rest of the film. There were a few plot points that weren't portrayed very well. As an engineer, I found some of the design scenes a bit amusing.

Bottom line, if you like sailing or the America's cup, you'll probably find parts of this movie enjoyable, and other parts a bit cheesy, over the top, or poorly acted. I would say that the sailing sequences are fun enough to watch that this movie is worth watching once for sailing buffs, and possibly someone interested in the sport.

If you are into sailing, this movie can't be beat. Wind, and Monty Python's Holy Grail oddly enough, is one of those staples of the sailing community and you will find a copy of it in the collection of every yacht club in the US. Unfortunately, other than sailing and some amazing "how did they do that" boat shots this movie has absolutely nothing to offer. The plot is about as formulaic as they come but if you go into it with low expectations you will enjoy yourself especially if you're the type who thought Waterworld was a good movie. If nothing else, Wind at least contributed a new word to the sailor's vernacular. You won't find a foredeck man alive who doesn't know what a whomper is!

One thing is for certain - you will either hate this film, especially if you can't stand the sea, boats and wind, or, if you like any of these, especially if you like _all_ of them, you will love it. Admittedly it has a simple, proven plot, gives short shrift to the history of the America's Cup and features a rather non-describt cast - but the film does have superior and imaginative cinematography, impeccable editing and a marvelous soundtrack, as well as a slow, but steady build-up of drama. To my knowledge there is no other film that even comes as close as this movie to capture the feeling, tension and athmosphere of offshore competitive racing. It deals with an unconventional, off-beat setting and theme - go, see/rent/buy it if you can stand that.............

How can you make a great movie about sailing and then shoot half of the film in the desert? The short answer is you can't. If you love sailing and love watching sailboats this movie offers you all the sights and sounds of racing however marred by the occasional bit of inane prattling dialog. If you prefer your movies to not have a patronizing plot you've come to the wrong place. Maybe I just hate when Hollywood gets their hands on an action film but has to add in backstory that includes a bad love story. Thinking they need a love story to get the female audience to see it. It's a formula that seems to suck all the life out of the script and distill it down to pretty photography and vapid characters. Mathew Modine turns in a decent performance despite the garbage they have him saying. Jennifer Grey on the other hand plays it like she's still Baby stuck in that corner. She really should have approached her character as if she was playing Ferris Beullers sister. Clift Robertson turns in a performance so dull and un-inspiring one would hope the Academy would take back that Oscar for "Charly" as a warning for future actors to not phone it in. My advice is to watch it for the sailing with one finger on the FF button for every other scene.

A comedian made a joke about Wind back in 1992. He said he didn't have time to see the movie Wind....it blew away before he could see it.

Wind has a small audience of fans. If you own a boat, you may be a fan of a movie about yachts, clipper ships, fishing, boat racing, etc. If you are a fan of Matthew Modine and / or Cliff Robertson, you may be a fan of movies that star them. Oh, if you live in the area where a movie was shot, this could influence you to want to watch the movie when it comes to the local cinema. Besides these reasons, Wind as very few people that will want to see this movie. Although the idea and the story has merit, it "blow away" with the wind. And is it just me, or does the opening of the film remind you of the opening of Grease when Olivia Newton John and John Travolta are talking on the coast of the beach? The scenes are different, but also the same. Oh well, if you like boats or you live near Newport, Rhode Island, Wind may be a nice film to watch.....once.

As a long-time sailor and racer, I admit that most consider a sailboat race like watching the grass grow, but they've done a great job of producing exciting racing scenes, while having so few technical inaccuracies that the most avid of us keep rewinding to review and debate. Take good note of the early dinghy racing scenes. I don't believe they used any trick photography: things really can happen that fast.

Of course, there's a larger set of stories, the classic love stories: between men and women, of sailing, of ideas, of ideals; the rough retelling of the Dennis Connor story (though I place Robertson/Weld as Connor, not Modine/Parker); an accurate representation of the "Old Boys'" network that *is* big-money yacht racing --I've met "Abigail Weld" many times; and the "absurdity" of a desert-based effort winning the Cup, a nod to the Melges' campaign.

The photography is astounding, the character development (the reason for the film's length) good, and the music complimented everything admirably.

That it's "about" sailing will turn many off, but those of us with a love of the sea and sailing hold this as a classic to be cherished.

Or so says Abigail Weld (played by Rebecca Miller) at about the mid-point of Wind. Personally, I hadn't thought about it much either way. But I'm also not sure what director Carroll Ballard's own views on the subject are, or if he was at all successful in getting them on film. He certainly makes the sailboats into quite a brilliant on-screen spectacle, but there's a lack of personal feeling here. A missing piece to the overall picture. There's certainly a huge emphasis on human-to-human drama that Ballard's four other features lack. Coming from the director who, by this point, had made a pair of highly personal films where the two main themes were isolation and loneliness, I somehow found that aspect to be conspicuously lacking from Wind.

The film opens underwater, looking up into the sun and a man floating on the surface. Will Parker (Matthew Modine) winds his way through the cove as Kate Bass (Jennifer Grey) looks on. It feels almost like a scene out of The Black Stallion. He comes to shore, and they talk about what could or may happen in his future. Matthew Modine is a good actor, and he tends to play normal, everyday people. He's likable, sure he is. I doubt that anyone truly hates Modine as an actor. But the character of Will Parker doesn't have a whole lot of deep internal conflict. Sure, he has decisions to make - but nothing resembling the dark corners of the soul in a character like Tyler from Never Cry Wolf. Actually, most of the other performances are quite good, if a bit underdeveloped. Stellan Skarsgård, in particular, is enjoyable to watch.

There's lots to enjoy about Wind - if you're not looking for anything complicated. From a scriptwriting standpoint, a central theme is either missing, or maybe a little confused. Events and conversations seem to repeat themselves in an attempt to overfill in the blanks. But here's the problem - for all intents and purposes, the film doesn't really begin until 48 minutes in. When the scene shifts to six months later in the Nevada desert, it quickly becomes clear that anything which happened previously was merely a set-up for the rest of the film. In fact, the ensuing scenes are of all far higher caliber than those preceding them. A certain parallel comes up between the recapture of the America's Cup and the subplot of Will trying to get back together with Kate. Not exactly the most original bit of scripting ever.

So what really makes Wind worth the watch? The real star of the film - its cinematography. This is truly a great-looking film. John Toll makes a lot of what might otherwise be dull technical work into a stunning visual display. Many scenes stand out beyond his obviously brilliant work in the sailing sequences. The part where Kate tests a sail out in the desert is absolutely breathtaking. Just like Carroll Ballard's other films, the most visually stunning photography is in the quiet moments. But since Wind runs a little short on those, the camera-work doesn't find much time to wander. The music, on the other hand (composed by Basil Poledouris) is really nothing special. He does everything well but nothing new. This is not a movie you go to for its soundtrack. It must be said that the lack of overall cohesion in this film is disappointing. It is a very slight story, not possessing of any real meat or meaning. The actors have neither the quality of dialogue nor the specific motivation to live up to John Toll's cinematography.

I've read interviews where Carroll Ballard talked about his relative unease with the drama between characters in this film, how it didn't flow as well as expected. And I sympathize with that. But at the end of it all - who really cares about the America's Cup anyhow? Not the average film-goer, apparently. And, unfortunately, not me either.

Aside from the blowing of a swift wind there isn't much context to go on.

It's a great movie for those who like and enjoy sailing. The nautical vocabulary is used but there's nothing too complicated about it. It's filled with beautiful images of sailing boats and of the America's Cup. Check on it and I doubt you'll regret.

Aesthetically this movie is superb! The score and the cinematography are breathtaking. The acting is well done. Cliff Robertson turns in an odd role, but he pulls it off well. Jennifer Grey and Matthew Modine made a believable couple. However, what this movie is lacking is a more upbeat script. This movie drags along at an exhausting rate. The only things that keep you going are the gorgeous shots of the boats, water, desert, et al. With this in mind, the movie is worth watching, but don't expect a classic.

... But make sure you realize it's not a true story but loosely based on the Stars and Stripe Challenge to the cup in '87. I was googling the names of the characters not realizing it wasn't a fully true story and finally I realized this. But the spirit of the Stars and Stripes yours long preparation and race itself is all captured. Well worth a watch

It appears this borrows from the first American loss in the America's Cup to spin an entirely fictional narrative. The nonsense about four lost people developing a winning America's Cup Yacht team at a derelict Nevada airport was particularly silly, though it may have saved enough to keep the producers from killing the project. Not even Cliff Robertson could do anything with this movie. Nice sailing scenes, though.

When I first saw this film a few years ago I was totally amazed, what happened to it upon release? Granted, here in the UK I do not know if it ever got a cinema run, but until it appeared on one of the satellite channels I'd never even heard of it. What a waste!

The film does a excellent job of dramatizing a sport that on first appearances to the layman will probably appear boring. A fine balance has to be drawn between exposition and drama, and I believe Wind achieves this admirably. This supported by the many friends who have seen this film upon my recommendation, most with no interest in sailing at all.

The two leads are fine, the Aussie skipper is good fun as a typical Aussie! The only bad call is the Abigall Weld character - rapidly becomes annoying and unrealistic.

Where the film scores even better is the superb camera work during the racing sequences, in particular the aerial shots - quite breathtaking. No review would be complete without mentioning the films score - quite simply some of the most uplifting and beautiful music I have ever heard.

Wonderful film, highly recommended.

This is one of the movies I never tire of seeing again. Beautiful sailing scenes, but you don't have to know anything about sailing to appreciate it. The cast did an earnest and excellent job. It must have been a labor of love to make. Don't miss it.

This is a great movie for people into sailing. Has some really spectacular shots. Has the best racing shots I have ever seen. The best thing about the whole movie is the score by BASIL POLEDOURIS. He has done it again another masterpiece.

When's it coming on DVD? I want widescreen and surround sound to really enjoy this movie at its best. You don't have to be a sailing enthusiast to get caught up in the passion of sailing and The America's Cup. Every time I watch this film I am reminded of the splendor of time spent on the water.

I am Carroll Ballard's fan and I respect his directing. Nevertheless, as a racing sailor myself, I was skeptical about the action scenes and how realistic they could be. As in the other films, the excellent director, obviously spent a lot of time studying and watching race sailing before filming this masterpiece. Hats off to Mr. Ballard! Excellent job. Of course, congratulations to the whole team and not only the actors. The supporting staff did an excellent job. THANKS!

The film student in me appreciates this movie, the sailor in me loves it. A classic among the sailing community, it is beautifully shot, and tells a convincing fable about the costs of blind ambition and the value of redemption. The main

character, Will Parker, is loosely based on Dennis Connor and his performance at the 1983 and 1987 America's Cups. One of the few movies about sailboat

racing, does turn heavy-handed at some points, but overall is an appreciable, tightly made film with high production values. I would recommend it.