Kicking off the Summer with 'Malibu Rescue'

A trouble-making teenager spends the summer working at a Southern California beach learning about responsibility.

Malibu Rescue (2019) is a film that focuses on what it’s like for the lifeguards to do their jobs. The plot and themes of the film are similar to those of Baywatch (2017), but with content and language suitable for younger audiences. The movie focuses on a troubled teen, Tyler Howard who attends Junior Rescue, a program held at Malibu Beach that focuses on being a lifeguard. The movie takes place in Southern California during the summer.

As seen in several scenes of Malibu Rescue, viewers learn why being a lifeguard is no easy feat. Becoming a lifeguard is all about water safety and practicing CPR training. Tyler meets the other kids in his team, the Flounders, who have their own problems. Tyler becomes suspicious when he sees Gina fumbling in the water, despite her telling him she’s on the swim team. Eric isn’t the athletic type. Despite, being in Junior Rescue, Tyler is up to his old tricks when he rigs his teammates in several training exercises.

In, Malibu Rescue, Tyler learns that teamwork and responsibility are important, and how teamwork changes his character over time. He is a troublemaker at the beginning, but eventually turns into a nicer, more serious person when it comes to compassion and responsibility. In addition, Tyler also learns the value of family as he befriends his “Flounder” teammates in Junior Rescue.

Malibu Rescue is considered to be an amazing summer movie because of its sunny and beachy setting. As stated by the title, Malibu is a popular Californian beach city. There are mostly white characters in the film, with Eric (Alkoya Brunson) being of African-American descent, so there is not too much diversity. Also, the plot shows viewers Tyler’s change in behavior. Therefore, this movie is suitable for younger audiences with some themes from Baywatch.