They spotted Lela and Tanner approaching them from farther down the beach. The couple, clearly in love, was holding hands and smiling at each other. Other surfers and bikers gathered around them as the crowd moved toward Mack and Brady.
Tanner was beaming at Lela. “You did it!” he cheered. He was still blown away by her quick thinking at the lighthouse.
“Of course,” Lela said proudly. “Girls can do anything boys can do!”
“Even…surf,” Tanner added, giving Lela a wink.
Brady stepped forward, moving closer to Lela. “We have to go home,” Brady told her.
“Stay,” Lela pleaded with him. “You’ll love it here. It’s always just like this.” She motioned to the beach, the waves, and all her friends gathered together. “Perfect.”
Tanner faced Mack. “Perfect,” he echoed.
Mack nodded her head. “Where I’m going back to is perfect also,” she said. She took Brady’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “I’m going to make sure of it.”
Butchy broke through the crowd. “You saved Big Momma’s, and for that we are, to you, gratefully grateful,” he said.
Tanner walked over to Brady. “You rock, bro.” He held up his hand for a high five.
Brady saw Mack’s face. He shrugged, feeling guilty. “Fine. I might have taught him that,” he confessed.
“Ever since you both got here, it’s been like a different world,” Lela said to Mack.
“But not just because of us,” Mack replied.
Lela took off her necklace. She reached over to Mack and put it around her new friend’s neck.
Mack grabbed the medallion with her fingers, getting a little choked up. “Friendship forever,” she said softly.
“Forever,” Lela agreed. She pulled Mack in for a tight hug.
Tanner ran and got Mack’s surfboard. “Kowabunga!” he cried. Mack tucked the board under her arm and faced the water.
“You sure you’re ready?” Brady whispered in Mack’s ear.
“Yeah,” she said, “now that I know what I’m going home to do.” She took his hand.
Everyone on the beach watched as Mack and Brady walked toward the water. Mack turned back and took in the view. On the beach, bikers and surfers stood together in harmony. She scanned their faces one more time, letting the moment soak in. She was going to miss everyone, but she had never been more ready to go home.
“Surf’s up!” Rascal cried.
All the kids on the beach cheered and waved as Mack and Brady turned to face the incoming waves. The ocean was rumbling with the sound of crashing water. There was a storm coming.
“Okay, are you ready?” Brady asked.
“Let’s do it,” Mack said, full of confidence.
They started paddling harder. They had to reach the next big wave before it broke in order to travel back to the present day. A huge wave rose up, and the two were there to meet it just in time. As they surfed through the barrel, the wave crashed down on them, pulling the pair deep beneath the swirling water.
The forceful whitecaps pushed in toward the beach. There was no sign of Mack or Brady. Suddenly, Mack’s surfboard broke the surface of the water. Seconds ticked by, and then Mack and Brady popped up from under the surf.
“You okay?” Brady asked trying to catch his breath.
Mack lifted her hand up and felt her head. “It’s wet! My hair is wet!” she cried. She shook her head happily, feeling the water drip everywhere.
“It is! It’s a mop!” Brady replied, laughing. He reached out and touched her head. “A wet, beautiful, stringy mop.”
Mack’s grandfather was standing on the beach, looking out into the breaking waves. When he saw Mack and Brady bobbing in the water, he cheered. “She’s good!” he cried. His shoulders relaxed, and he sighed with relief. “She made it,” he whispered to himself with a smile on his face.
The whole crowd on the beach cheered when they saw their friends. Mack and Brady waved happily in reply.
Brady spun his head around. “Hey,” he said to Mack. “No time has passed. This is exactly when we left!”
“We did it!” Mack cheered.
“And you still have a chance to ride one of the biggest waves to ever hit this beach,” Brady said, looking out to the horizon. The moment that Mack had been waiting for had not passed. “And I promise I won’t try and save you.”
Mack laughed. “If I needed saving, I’d want you to be the one to do it,” she said.
Brady swam over to his Jet Ski. He looked back at Mack and nodded. She had to take this ride by herself.
Swinging her legs over the board, Mack got on and paddled into position. She glanced over her shoulder at Brady. They exchanged a final, knowing look. This was her moment, and Brady knew that Mack was ready.
Mack faced the incoming wave and readied herself on her board. The rose emblem on the front of her board caught her eye. She touched the flower and took a deep breath.
From the shore, she heard a lifeguard’s whistle. The lifeguard lowered the red flag and raised a white one, indicating that it was safe to surf again. The crowd on the beach cheered as Mack headed out to conquer the fierce wave.
The wave started to swell, Mack leaped up on her board, expertly slicing into the huge wave. She was spectacular!
Brady proudly watched Mack handle herself like a pro on the monster wave. She really was an awesome surfer!
The wave began to curl high above her, and she skimmed her hand against the inside wall of the perfect barrel. Mack grinned. This was what she loved most about surfing. She was fully in control and loving it!
The crowd on the beach erupted in a chorus of cheers. Mack’s ride was incredible.
But as the barrel of the wave closed around her, she disappeared from view. The crowd grew anxious as they waited for Mack to surface. Suddenly, she exploded out of the barrel. It was the perfect finish to a perfect ride!
Mack emerged triumphantly from the water. All the surfers and spectators on the beach ran to greet her as she approached the sand.
Brady raced over, with Mack’s grandfather close behind him.
“I’m proud of you McKenzie,” her grandfather told her, giving her a huge hug.
“Thanks, Grandpa,” she said, looking into his eyes, “for the ride of my life.”
At that moment, Aunt Antoinette came storming over to them. She was huffing and puffing, struggling to walk through the sand in high heels. “McKenzie, do you know what you’ve done?” she shouted.
A smile spread across Mack’s face. “Yeah,” she said. “I killed on that wave.”
“We’re late for our flight, late for registration, and totally off schedule,” she snapped. “And all so you could slice a container?”
Brady smirked. “I think you mean ‘carve a barrel,’” he said, correcting her.
“Thanks, I’ve got this one,” Mack said to Brady. She faced her aunt and took a deep breath. “I love you, Aunt Antoinette,” she said. “And Mom would be happy you care so much, but I think you’ve been wrong. Mom would want me to be happy being successful at what I loved, like you are at what you love.” She paused and gestured to her aunt’s business attire. “It’s just not what I love.”
Antoinette looked confused. “I’m trying to read between the lines,” she said, exasperated.
“I want to finish high school here,” Mack told her. “I want to be with Brady, surf more, and enjoy myself. Then, well, I don’t know what then,” she said, laughing. “The thing is, I don’t have to know. Not just yet. But whatever it is, it’ll be my choice.”
“Fine,” Antoinette said with a sigh. “Have it your way. You’re headstrong, just like your grandfather.”
Mack reached out and gave her aunt a hug. “That’s the nicest thing you ever could have said,” she told her, winking at her grandpa.
Antoinette’s face softened a little as she hugged her niece. In her own way, she was giving Mack her approval.
Mack’s grandfather smiled. He was proud of his gr
anddaughter—and his daughter.
“Hey, you know what we should do?” Brady asked.
Mack and Brady exchanged a look. They spoke at the same time, but each said something different!
“Surf!” Mack cheered.
“Sing!” Brady exclaimed.
Once again, Mack and Brady found themselves surrounded by a crowd of people singing and dancing. As Mack danced, the necklace that Lela had given her started to glow. In the center circle of the necklace was a rose emblem, the same as the one on her grandfather’s surfboard.
At the end of the song, Mack’s grandfather spotted an ice cream cart. “Three chocolate. One sea grass and buckwheat,” he told the vendor.
“Just like when we were kids,” Antoinette said, grimacing at her father’s ice cream choice. “I guess it’s nice that some things don’t change.”
“Hey, Gramps,” the ice cream vendor said, “my dad wanted me to tell you that board you made him helped win him a championship.”
“Is that right?” The older man grinned.
“Yup,” the ice cream vendor said, handing out the cones. “Heck, half the surfers on this beach wouldn’t be who they are if it wasn’t for you.”
Mack and Brady noticed the old TV on the ice cream cart was playing Wet Side Story. The surfers and bikers were gathered on the porch of Big Momma’s. Instead of being separated into their usual groups, the crowd was all mixed together. They were smiling and waving as the end of the movie neared. In the final moments, Lela and Tanner kissed and smiled right into the camera. Across the screen, the words “The End” appeared.
Mack and Brady gave each other a knowing smile.
“See!” Mack cried. “Who doesn’t love a movie with a happy ending!”
She turned to look at her grandfather, Aunt Antoinette, and Brady, who were each enjoying an ice cream cone at the beach. There was no other place in the world she’d rather be!
MAIA MITCHELL
What excited you the most about the Teen Beach Movie script when you read it?
What didn’t excite me about this project? There are so many aspects of the script that are just so exciting to me. You know, I get to sing, and for a singer to be able to sing and act in a movie is just the ultimate. Plus the dancing was really exciting. I hadn’t danced in a while, so this has been a lot of fun. I also instantly related to the character Mack. We have a lot of similarities and I found her humor so funny and was literally reading the script and laughing out loud. So when I found out I landed the role, I was just ecstatic.
Which of the musical numbers you performed was your favorite?
From day one, my favorite number has been “Can’t Stop Singing.” The idea of uncontrollable dancing and singing is just so funny to me. It started with a concept and it just grew and became this outrageous kind of show-tune beat with tapping and cardboard cutouts and silks and props. We had so much fun creating and filming it. I’m excited to see how it turns out.
What do you think about people breaking into song?
It’s a really funny comedic device, I think. People suddenly breaking into song, and random costume changes, and all of that stuff is so hilarious to me. It’s so typical of those 1960s movies and that genre. I think it’s interesting that Mack makes fun of that and is really apprehensive about the whole situation in the beginning of the film. So for me it was interesting towards the end of the movie to see how the musical numbers in Wet Side Story translate into Teen Beach Movie and Mack’s reality. I think it’s a nice little connection that’s made.
Do you like the sixties clothing you got to wear for this movie?
I love the sixties clothing! It brought an energy onto set when everyone was wearing these crazy costumes. It was kind of like playing dress up every day.
Did you have any surfing experience before the movie started?
[LAUGHS] I didn’t have any surfing experience before this movie, which was kind of nerve racking. I read the script and in the opening sequence Mack is going through these crazy waves. I grew up at the beach and know how surfing works and know how dangerous it can be, so I was kind of like, Oh, gosh. But we went into surf training straightaway and ended up having so much fun. It’s definitely something that I want to continue, because we had a blast.
What does the movie say about following your dreams?
Teen Beach Movie has a really, really beautiful message about following your dreams and listening to your heart. If you truly listen to your heart and are completely true to yourself and true to your values and true to what your family has brought you up with, I think you’ll be okay and the universe will tend to put you in the right position. You know what I mean? It’s like that concept of destiny that’s so present in this film.
ROSS LYNCH
What drew you to this project?
I love musicals and I hadn’t done one yet. I also love surfing. When I first went surfing, I totally fell in love with it. I love the Teen Beach Movie story, too. I’m a bit of a romantic myself and Brady loves musicals and loves that the characters in 1960s films always fall in love. I think the story is so cool.
What kinds of rehearsing and training went into preparing the singing and dancing parts of the musical numbers?
It was a lot of fun, because we basically just had weeks of dancing and singing rehearsal. We’d go to a dance studio and they’d teach us the choreography, like the formations and stuff. And then we’d get to sing it out, you know? I think rehearsing and dancing like that definitely helped me learn the songs, because then when I went into the recording booth, I knew exactly what I was doing and what I was singing and how to approach it. I think it really helped.
Mack makes fun of Wet Side Story because people break into song and dance, but Brady loves that.
Oh, yeah.
How do you personally feel about that concept?
I do that every day. I break out into song almost every day, in the middle of nowhere, too. It’s not just in musicals, all right? It’s Ross, too. [LAUGHS] I’ll be walking down the street, and, for instance, say I see a pretty girl walking by me. I’ll totally turn around and sing a song to her—most of the time.
How does it feel to be in a Disney Channel musical?
Being in a Disney Channel musical was, like, one of my life goals. I set a milestone when we were filming this movie. No joke. It’s a Disney Channel musical, you know what I’m saying? It’s legendary. It can’t get any better. It’s a dream of mine. So follow your dreams, because I’m following mine and it feels great once you do reach your dreams.
Tell us about your musical background.
Well, I’ve basically been dancing, singing, and acting ever since I was a little kid. My brothers, sister, and I would dance in our basement on a checkered dance floor. We’d sing and dance and put on plays for our whole family. Then we started playing instruments, too. We love being onstage. I guess I’ve just been doing this all my life. It’s what I was meant to do.
EXT BEACH SHACK - DUSK
They approach an old, worn down beach shack that sits, as it clearly has for decades, along the edge of the beach. A sign lets us know it’s an old custom-build surfboard shop connected to Mack and her grandfather’s careworn home.
BRADY
First thing tomorrow, we hit the beach and that awesome surf! Imagine what you’ll do on waves that heavy --
(acting it out)
-- carving, kickflips, laybacks!!
MCKENZIE
Brady, about tomorrow --
INT BEACH SHACK/WORKSHOP – DUSK
Mack and Brady enter the workshop area, the house itself seen through a large open entry. It’s rustic, lived in. You can see there’s love there, and almost everything in it is beach-surf inspired. Suddenly, Brady notices something…
BRADY
-- No way!
He runs past her, inside, to where Mack’s grandfather is working on a surfboard, surrounded by other boards and all kinds of equipment. On the TV there’s an old SURF MOVIE playing, which he
watches as he works. Brady sees and reacts.
The following conversation between Brady, Mack and her grandfather is intercut with shots of the TV showing glimpses of the forthcoming 60s opening sequence, including moments of dancing (primary footage):
EXT BIG MOMMA’S BUNGALOW - BEACH – DAY
SURFER KIDS dancing on a pristine, Technicolor beach, circa 1960.
VFX - REAR PROJECTION SCREEN/EXT THE WATER - DAY
TANNER, a sun-bleached, humorously cocky, fun, not too deep surfer doing amazing tricks [handstands, hot moves from the period, a GIRL on his shoulder, then not] all in front of what is clearly a rear projection screen.
RESUME BEACH
A surfer girl and guy come out of the water and run by a Lifeguard stand. The girl’s hair is TOTALLY DRY and still in a flip.
EXT BIG MOMMA’S BUNGALOW - BEACH - DAY
As they run up the beach, other surf kids join them and they all enter --
INT BIG MOMMA’S BUNGALOW - NIGHT
A beach hangout that epitomizes the beach lifestyle of the period. Surfboards and posters, wooden tables, shells.
The place is populated by a group of SURFERS on one side and BIKERS on the other, as if a dividing line has been drawn. Bikers sit on one side and Surfers go-go dance on the other. Each group CLEARLY doesn’t want the other there.
BRADY
I can’t believe you’re watching this without me!
GRANDFATHER
Now that you’re here, I’m not.
MCKENZIE
Please tell me it isn’t --
BRADY/GRANDFATHER (OVERLY EXCITED)
‘Wet Side Story’!
MCKENZIE
-- That.
BRADY
1962. Surfers. Bikers. Best movie ever made.
MCKENZIE
How can you two like that silliness? Especially you, Grandpa.
GRANDFATHER
Silliness? Mack, my dear, this movie defined an entire culture.
BRADY
Exactly. A Surfer guy and a Biker girl share a secret love while trying to unite their rival gangs, as an evil real estate mogul tries to turn their hangout into a resort by building a weather machine which blows up, creating a massive storm? Silliness? Really?
Teen Beach Movie Page 6