Morning Light (2008)

The Worst Film Ever

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Being a casual sailor I did enjoy the mechanics of this movie. It motivated me to want to spend more time on the water and push the limits of my own sailing. The camera work was impressive and the plot kept me interested for the most part as it provided a good balance between the sport and the interpersonal aspect of the team. I enjoyed seeing the process of training and then competing in the race as well as examining the strategic decision making process and the results of those decisions.Now, don't take the next part wrong, I did like the characters in the movie and for the most part they seemed like enjoyable and personable people. What threw me off though is that the crew consisted of what mostly appeared to be privileged kids that grew up sailing, at least half of which probably could have bought their way onto a TransPac boat if they really wanted to. Not that this isn't what I would expect in your typical high-caliber sailboat racing, since you do enter a race to win and you want an experienced crew. However, in this case it would have been nice to see more diversity and a mix of the experienced sailors sharing this experience with motivated, yet underprivileged kids. The one person who I think the experience would have had the most profound impact on didn't make the final cut. Another person who disregarded a suggestion to not go snowboarding between training sessions ended up breaking her arm and missing much of the training, but still did make it on the boat. Sure, there was probably a lot more that happened behind the scenes so I may not have the full picture, but that seems pretty representative of the inequities that many people face on a day-to-day basis and I think the film could have aimed a bit higher. I think it would have been a much better and motivating movie if it had more of a "breaking down the social and economic barriers" aspect to it, rather than just a bunch of experienced young sailors taking their sailing to the next level.To sum up, taking the age of the crew out of the equation, this was simply a documentary about putting an elite sailing team together to compete in an exclusive sailboat race. The fact that they were all in their late teens/early twenties (and probably in the best physical shape they will ever be in) wasn't a big deal to me. If you are intrigued by sailing and sailboat racing I would recommend this movie. If you are looking for a motivational feel-good movie, you may be a bit disappointed. Just my opinion of course.

Since 1906, boaters from all corners of the globe have gathered to compete in the Transpacific Yacht Race, a two-week-long sailing competition that extends across more than 2,000 miles of open ocean, starting in Los Angeles and ending in Honolulu. In 2007, Roy Disney and a team of expert trainers sponsored a hand-picked crew of young sailors - ages 18 to 23 - to compete in the event (indeed, it was the youngest team in the history of the race). Named after the 52-foot boat on which they sailed, "Morning Light" is a documentary account of both the preparation for that race and the race itself.The movie spends much of the first half focusing on the grueling training the youngsters underwent as part of the process of whittling down the group of 15 hopefuls to a final crew of just 11.Directed by Mark Monroe, "Morning Light" is a wholesome, upbeat, fast-paced documentary with razor-sharp editing (by Monroe and Paul Crowder) that really gets the adrenaline pumping, and cinematography (by Josef Nalevansky) that truly makes you feel like you're a part of the action. Through interviews, we get to know a little about the youngsters themselves, what motivates them, what excites them about sailing, and what it means to them personally to make - and, indeed in some cases, to not make - the final cut.With its inspirational, shoot-for-the-stars pop-rock soundtrack, MTV-style editing techniques and "Real World" communal setup (albeit a squeaky-clean one), the movie is clearly aimed at a younger audience. And there are times when the film does feel a little too "Disneyfied" for its own good (did none of these young adults ever once swear?). But folks of any age will be able to thrill to this film, provided they have a spirit of adventure - armchair variety or not.

This movie is not for everybody, clearly, as judging from the previous comment! Let's start out by first mentioning that this movie is a sailing movie first and fore most, and it is a documentary. Those of you looking for Real Worldesque drama look elsewhere. Those of you looking for a well made documentary that captures the essence of a sport, look no further than Morning Light.The movie tells the tale of a contest set up by the late Roy Disney. Disney is a life long sailor, and having devoted his life to the sport of sailing, as well as bringing sailing to the youth, he came up with a way to bring a rich mans sport to the future of the sport, young college sailors. Roy Disney's ambitious goal is played out beautifully throughout the movie, and with the Walt Disney $$$ backing it, they have successfully made one of the best looking documentary's ever. Really the camera work was fairly remarkable. Non-sailors will not be able to understand the total lack of space aboard a Transpac vessel, and the shots that those camera workers got were remarkable.The greatest testimony I can give for this movie was when we showed it at the Yacht Club that I work at. We had a rainy day and were running out of ideas to keep the children at bay, but had this movie unopened in the office. The kids were really taken by it, and they learned that all the skills they were honing on the water in smaller boats can be translated directly to the larger ocean vessels. While sailing has for the most part been left to the "rich white men" (as the previous commenter put it) the sport has understood that and has made an elaborate effort to bring sailing to everyone. As the director at the largest sailing school in the midwest, I must say that movies like this are exactly what the sport needs. With gas prices at record highs and only going up, why wouldn't sailing be a popular sport in the future? Hopefully documentary's like Morning Light will continue to be made even after Roy Disney's passing. Rest in Peace sir!

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It is a documentary movie about a group of young sailors who are brought together by a most benevolent and charitable Roy Disney, his beautiful and creative wife and their crack squad of sailing coaches. Ultimately, thirty elite sailors have to be pared down to the fourteen who will race the boat "Morning Light" in the difficult Transpac Ocean Race. The photography is gorgeous. The reasons the coaches give for choosing the lucky sailors who eventually take part in this challenging endeavour are as interesting as the hurdles which befell the young sailors along their journey such as safety, night sailing, mechanical repair and sheer endurance. This movie is a delight and is real life as opposed to a hokey drama. Well done!