Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Seems  like it’s Carrie Underwood week here at Idol Chatter.

Oh, well, what’s one to do when one of Idol’s most beloved winners rocks the AMC Awards with Steven Tyler (video and photos here), is honored as one of country music’s greatest females (video and photos here) and appears in her film debut all in the same week.

Write blogs and post lots of photos, of course.

Which brings us to “Soul Surfer,” which opens in theaters tomorrow. It’s basically the Bethany Hamilton story, sharing the tale of perseverance of a teenage surfer who loses her left arm in a shark attack when she’s 13.

Carrie plays the role of Sarah Hill, a youth group leader at the church Bethany attends. The film also stars AnnSophia Robb as Bethany and old pros Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt as Bethany’s parents.

Here’s what Carrie says about the role: “I never set out to be an actress, but I always said if something came along and it was for the right reasons, I would do it. And this script just felt right.”

And here’s what director Sean McNamara says about Carrie: “She was so honest and real on camera, it just blew us away.”

Apparently, it blew him away more than the critics, who are giving the movie and Carrie’s performance mixed reviews. I’ve posted a sampling below, along with links to the full reviews.

My guess is we haven’t seen the last of Carrie the actress.

The Florida Times-Union: Calls it a solid inspirational story that takes seriously a couple of things often made trivial in popular entertainment: surfing and religion. The film gets a 2.5 out of 4. The reviewer is less kind to Carrie saying she “as a compassionate youth minister, is absolutely wooden. Every scene she’s in comes to a clunky stop. It would be a tough role for a real actress, and it’s way too much for the one-time ‘American Idol’ star.”

The Orlando Sentinel: Calls it “the best faith-based film made, an uplifting, entertaining and wonderfully acted account of surfer Bethany Hamilton’s life before and after a shark bit her arm off in the waters off her favorite Hawaiian beach.” The film gets a B+. As for Carrie, the reviewer says the role of youth group leader Sarah is “winningly played by singer Carrie Underwood. Sarah sings in the pop-gospel group at church and tries to get the girls to think about their priorities.”

Time Out Chicago: Gives the film 2 stars out of 5. “As youth-group movie-night fodder, Soul Surfer earns its shakas. As character drama, it doesn’t catch any waves.” The reviewer didn’t review Carrie’s performance.

US Magazine: Gives the film 2 stars, saying it’s “a bit of a chore to watch.” It refers to the film featuring Carrie “in a bland role as a church youth-group leader.”

The Kansas City Star: Gives the film 2.5 stars, saying it comes off as “a well-intentioned, made-for-TV movie.” The reviewer skips Carrie’s performance.

The Miami Herald: Gives the film 3 stars, saying “the real story of surfer Bethany Hamilton is so remarkable that it makes the film version seem embroidered by Hollywood’s heavy hand, even though it’s not.” Carrie’s character, the reviewer says, “may seem merely a device to pile on the Christian message.”

The Associated Press: No rating, but here’s the review, minus any mention of Carrie: “An uplifting, entertaining and wonderfully acted account of surfer Bethany Hamilton’s life before and after a shark bit her arm off in the waters off her favorite Hawaiian beach.”