I hate surfers. Loathe them. Meritless conformists uniforming themselves in Rip Curl branding and braided hair, group-thinking themselves counterculture icons. If the Nordsee had been warmer in the 1930s, surfing would have been the Reich’s chosen sport.

You can imagine my scepticism when approaching John Milius’s celebrated surfer movie ‘Big Wednesday’ (1978). Yet, I can’t help but think Milius, famously a conservative gun nut and known for his macho fantasies, would agree with me on surfer-seekers. His attitude to hippies in Conan the Barbarian wasn’t exactly favourable.

So, breathe easy. This is not a film about tissue-thin spiritual exploration – this is a story about enduring friendships. Told through time-jumps, the narrative follows a group through the 1960s, as they avoid alcoholism, self-destruction. How they all conspire to avoid the Vietnam draft is hilarious. When one of them returns from that war, he simply paddles out to meet his buddies. In modern cinema there would be false tears. Here, just understated nods and smiles.

The film stars the good but not memorable William Katt (TV’s ‘The Greatest American Hero’), Jan-Michael Vincent (TV’s ‘Airwolf’), and Gary Busey (later in that other surfer classic, ‘Point Break’). They blend into the photography of legendary cinematographer Bruce Surtees and surf filmmakers Greg MacGillivray and Jim Freeman. The orchestral score by Basil Poledouris – an underrated musical talent – makes the movie. I can’t help but feel they all missed their niche as natural history filmmakers as the human story seems almost an afterthought. The characters are dominated by the natural backdrop of shores and shoals. Mostly, you’ll only remember the mood.   

While the film undoubtedly deserves its cult status, did watching it make me want to learn surfing? No. I’d still rather be stung by a Portuguese man o’ war.