A few years ago the documentary Surfwise came and went without nearly enough attention, even though it was well-crafted, entertaining and focusing on a truly worthy subject: Doc Paskowitz and the family of nine children he raised to be surfers. They lived all together in a camper and in self-created poverty, were on strict diets containing no fat and sugar, and many became champion surfers in their teens. You can learn more about the remarkable Paskowitz family in an interview I did with Doc, his wife Juliette and two of their sons. Or you have another option now-- you can watch the Sean Penn biopic version of the story.
According to Variety, Paskowitz has agreed to sell his life rights to Penn as a producer, and the actor may star in the resulting film as well. Producers Alan and Gabe Polsky had spent decades trying to convince Paskowitz to sign over the rights, but the octogenarian-- who still surfs!-- resisted until Penn got on board. Paul Feldsher, who has worked previously as a producer but probably got hired because he's Penn's friend, will be in charge of the screenplay.
Though Penn's breakthrough role was playing the lackadaisical surfer Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, his incarnation of Paskowitz would likely be quite different. Paskowitz embodied surfer lifestyle, yes, but the regimented life he insisted on for his family, and the emotional scars many carry today, are far from beach shacks and lazy afternoons. That makes him a much more interesting character for a biopic, of course, and even though this project seems like more of a personal passion than anything likely to get greenly soon, I'd really like to see Penn's take on such a complicated and fascinating man.
