2.5 Out of 5 Stars
Rolling with the current trend of adapting almost any property that seems even remotely bankable, Baywatch the movie was bound to happen. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron and directed bySeth Gordon, the film takes a pretty big risk that pays off by going in for the hard R as opposed to the more bankable PG-13. What we get is probably the best-case scenario given the source with a surreal and sometimes-uneven comedic mix. But I mean come on, its BAYWATCH THE MOVIE.

Baywatch begins with the Lifeguard squad holding their yearly tryouts, when disgraced Olympic swimmer and consummate bad boy Matt Brody (Zac Efron) shows up assigned to the division. Their fearless leader Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) isn’t too crazy about the idea of letting Brody who was nicknamed the “Vomit Comet” join his unit, which prides itself on its teamwork, saving lives and their strangely proficient crime investigation abilities. But when Flakka and dead bodies start washing up Mitch’s shore he’s determined to track down the source behind the drugs and carnage.

The Rock proves he can literally do anything by making a Baywatch adaptation that is more fun than it has any right to be. The film has no pretense about taking itself seriously as it hops between this weird meta aware adaptation and an episode of the show as envisioned by Michael Bay. The film also operates in a strange parallel universe with the original show where the Baywatch crew has solved crimes in the past, yet there is no shortage of folks letting them know lifeguards really shouldn’t be investigating drug trafficking or murder. The film smartly chooses to go the low road with plenty of raunchy gags coupled with enough slow motion and objectification to please both sexes that make Baywatch a fun waste of a lazy summer afternoon.


What makes this film work is the chemistry between Efron and Johnson who effortlessly bounce lowbrow bro comedy laughs off one another. Also given Dwayne Johnson’s leanings toward family fare, I’m always a big fan of any role when he is let loose and dropping f-bombs. Johnson and Efron are joined by a cast that does their best to stay out of their way, while still having their own brief character moments within the narrative. The romance between Ronnie (Jon Bass) and CJ(Kelly Rohrbach) was definitely an unexpected highlight and also a great way for a film to bring in folks onto the team that may not fit the Baywatch stereotype.

Baywatch is a fun watch that ultimately proves Dwayne Johnson is so funny and charismatic he can carry just about anything. Weird, raunchy and sometimes strangely self-aware the film is a solid second choice for your summer viewing if your first choice was already sold out at the theater. Baywatch is pure popcorn action with side of very un P.C. humor that doesn’t ask too much from its audience, but sometimes that’s exactly what you want.