Windrider (1986) – Nostalgia Central

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Set in Western Australia, Windrider was promoted as a “romantic action film about windsurfing”. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough windsurfing scenes to justify that claim, and the romance is unintentionally comic.

Obnoxious bleached blonde yuppie “PC” Simpson (Tom Burlinson) is wealthy, a brilliant engineer, a determined windsurfer and an all-around smooth kind of guy. At least, that’s what he and his adoring public think.

Jade Kelly (Nicole Kidman in her first adult role), the fiery, determined lead singer of a rock band, is the natural opposite.

And, of course, opposites attract. Then repel. Then attract . . .

The film begins with PC windsurfing and achieving the impossible, a “360” – a complete circle in the air on his board. Jade – who has just finished an all-night recording session and is at the beach for a bit of peace and quiet – witnesses the miraculous event. Our hero runs out of the water and jumps around like an idiot – and Jade disappears.

Naturally, PC falls in love with this mystery woman, but the mystery is solved when he sees her on a rock video shown on local TV. He tracks her down and pursues her with the force of a moose in heat.

Along the way, up pops a great white shark to threaten him. It’s about as menacing and convincing as the blow-up ones you can buy at those cheap stands at the beach.

And that’s about as much plot as there is. But the scenery is lovely, and the windsurfing footage (with expert rider David Sheen doubling for Burlinson) is great.

Stewart ‘PC’ Simpson
Tom Burlinson
Jade Kelly
Nicole Kidman
Miss Dodge
Jill Perryman
Stewart Simpson Sr.
Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell
Howard
Simon Chilvers
Coyote
Kim Bullad
Ratso
Stig Wemyss
Mangles
Mark Williams
Rabbit
Alastair G. Cumming
Wally
Robin Miller
Lurch
Matt Parkinson
Mud
Lorraine Webster
McBride
John Ryan
King
Lance Karapetcoff
Ross
Ric Whittle
Hayes
Andy Copeman
Engineer
Trevor Spencer
Cram
Alistair Browning
Kate
Penny Brown
Tea Lady
Peggy Walker
Barman
Roger Watkins
Bouncer
Jerry Thomas
Marco
Maurie Ogden
Tow Truck Driver
Sid Plummer
Lifesaver
Greg Nunn
Contest Organizer
Jeremy Higgins
Sports Announcer
Don Barrett
Television Director
Bill McCluskey
Motor Bike Rider
Mick Van Moorsel
Radio Announcer
Allan Symons