Inspirational 'Soul Surfer' blandly told

You couldn't ask for a more inspirational story than that of Bethany Hamilton, a hopeful professional surfer who, in October 2003, lost her left arm in a shark attack off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii. She was 13. Within months, she returned to competing and is currently 25th in the Association of Surfing Professionals' women's world ranking.

Inspirational, however, is not necessarily the same as compelling, a distinction that the biographical film "Soul Surfer," starring AnnaSophia Robb ("Bridge to Terabithia") as Bethany, doesn't make. Nearly devoid of drama, the film firmly believes that Bethany's triumph alone will keep viewers engaged.

Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt play the parents, Tom and Cheri, themselves die-hard surfers. The Hamiltons also are Christians, which the film takes pains to emphasize. The children are home-schooled; Bethany belongs to a youth group; the doctor who stitches her up calls her "a living miracle." After the attack, the close-knit community provides Bethany with a deep reservoir of support.

It also provides a kind of vaccine against all negativity. There is no villain who cannot be made a friend, no tragedy that can't become a blessing. In a tangent, Bethany and her youth-group leader (a wooden Carrie Underwood, in her feature-film debut) visit tsunami victims in Thailand, which somehow inspires Bethany to get back on her board.

Directed and co-written by Sean McNamara, and based on Bethany's 2004 book, "Soul Surfer" may well be an accurate retelling of Bethany's life and not a touch-up job. Either way, the movie itself ends up feeling oddly uninspired.