I saw this movie in Hawaii with probably every other sailor in the islands. A group of us were on the yacht racing circuit and this was, after all, a film about the grandest sailing race of all, the America's Cup.
Matthew Modine plays Will Parker, a sailor who has an opportunity to captain an America's Cup boat. Parker has to choose between his girlfriend (Kate, played by Jennifer Grey) and the race. He chooses the race and loses to the Australians. Parker is devastated and is determined to win the Cup back. To do so, he enlists Kate and her new engineer boyfriend (played brilliantly by Stellan Skarsgård) to help design a new boat. The fact that they are building the boat on an old airstrip in the middle of a desert adds to the quirkiness of the film.
This is a fascinating peak into the world of the America's Cup, the hallowed halls of East Coast old money yachting, and sailing technology. The filming of the International 14 race and the later big boat race scenes are fantastic and very exciting.
For the non-sailor or novice, the race footage is nicely narrated and explained by Peter Montgomery, a longtime yacht racing commentator. Take a look and get up to speed. International teams are currently racing to see who takes home the America's Cup.