(water whooshing)
(inhales and exhales loudly)
- I miss you, Captain.
But I know you're gonna be out there with me today.
- Tryna learn how to use that thing, kid?
- Sure am mister.
- You want some help?
- Yeah.
- Then let's hit the water.
- Whoa! What's your name, mister?
- Just call me the Captain, kid.
Just call me the Captain.
- All right, Captain.
And that began the best journey of my life.
Cap really took me under his wing.
- He has it.
He has the surf.
And with my help,
he could be the surfer.
- We started training for the Mr. Surfman Championships
under the sunny Del Mar skies.
And I was doing pretty, well....
Okay.
We high-fived.
Drank cold ones.
Teased Lifeguard Larry,
and giggled with each other a lot.
And of course we hit the water.
Cap wasn't just my coach.
He was becoming a great friend.
Then it all changed.
(dramatic music)
- What do you think you're doing?
- I'm done, Captain. - You're not done.
- You see those dolphins?
- Yes. - See what they did to me?
- Listen- - They hit my leg, man.
I'm fucking done!
- You're a surfer.
You could do what I never was capable of doing.
- You're not even a real captain.
You know that?
I'm done and you're done. - You gotta be tough
and you're gonna be a surfer, Michael.
You don't want it then I can't give it to you.
- And just like that I was done.
Started working at an auto body shop.
(gentle music)
I was lost.
I really miss Cap, but I was too chickenshit to reach out.
(gentle music)
And then it was too late.
Thursday, August 13th was the worse day of my life.
After the funeral, I knew what I had to do.
For me and for Cap.
(energetic music)
Let's win this thing.
- I'm with you more than you know my brother.
- [Announcer] We're back in the 2019
Mr. Surfman Championships.
- [Announcer] Well, if you're just joining us,
you had missing some amazing surfing from Michael Strassner.
I mean, this guy is absolutely unbelievable.
Don't know where he came from.
Tommy, do you know?
- [Tommy] Yeah, you know, I heard about this guy.
He was being trained by captain Johnno Wilson.
He's the best surfer, of really all time.
- You gonna do it, I believe in you Michael.
- [Tommy] And he was a mechanic
at one point at the Giant,
and then John you know, he got hit by a tsunami.
- That balance, keep your balance.
Ooh, ooh.
- [Tommy] It's a real frigging shame.
I mean, that goes without saying.
- You're a champion.
See the medal, be the medal.
- [Announcer] You're right I heard about that story.
Well, honest with John, look at that!
- [Announcer] He's already won
and now he's just doing stuff for fun.
I mean, this guy is unbelievable.
- I'll always be with you Michael!
(upbeat music)
(grunts)
- I did it, bro.
- Hey, where should we eat?
I'm starving. - Oh, Jesus Christ!
What? why are you here? What is...
- I told you I'd always be with you.
- Like all the time?
- What do you think always means, Michael?
- I just figured like, just for the competition,
why are you here now? - No, I literally
looked at you after the competition
and said "Always."
- Okay. - Now I'm starving.
Let's get a G-row? A gyro?
Gyro.
- Gyro? Why do they use a G?
That's crazy.
- And when he said always he wasn't kidding.
(gentle music)
Hey bud. How are ya?
- Hey buddy.
(Captain shouting) - Oh, Jesus Christ!
- You need to turn off the propane too, buddy.
- Yeah, obviously wasn't done cooking.
- Who needs a blue angel
when you got a real angel right here, huh?
- I just wanna see some planes, man.
- I can see behind you. You can't, just be careful.
Keep the back a little straight,
you're getting a little curve.
It's not good.
- Thanks for the tip man.
- Yeah, no problem.
- Better safe than sorry.
What would you do without me? I don't know.
You've no idea how many people are dead in heaven,
and they're there because they had spinal injuries.
I'm gonna look at the blue angel.
How much longer you got?
- I knew what I had to do.
For me and for Cap.
- Ooh. Hey, what do you wanna do today?
You wanna bowl or see a movie?
- Captain I think we need to talk.
- Okay. I will see... I know what you're gonna say,
you're gonna say "Let's go see 'The Joker'."
well, it's just "The Joker". - I meant...
- Let me talk.
- Oh. - Yeah.
- Okay.
- I don't think I need you guarding me anymore.
- Sure.
- No, no. But seriously.
- I get it. I mean,
let's just retrace our steps
because what if you left the propane on
when you were barbecuing food?
Whole place (vocalizing) exploded.
- Then I would have been done cooking.
- You could have broken your back
when you were doing P90X.
- And I would have to accept that.
The thing is I know that I'm okay by myself.
Like I know I can figure out my life without you here.
So I need you to make sure that you're not in it anymore.
And I think that's the best way to go about
this whole situation.
I appreciate your time with me,
but I think it's time to call it.
- Like a break or like a full thing?
- Like I think we don't speak for six weeks.
- Wow um...
- I think we take six weeks.
Six weeks.
- How'd you come up with six weeks?
It's incredibly arbitrary.
- Because then we'll know that it's time
that we don't spend time-
- Why don't you pick like a month?
Let's just say a month, like a month is...
- You're a great guy. You're a great angel.
You're a really great angel. You really are.
But you're just not for me.
I think you understand that
when you meet another person to guard.
- Have you been talking to another angel?
You think he's a better fit for you
in terms of guardianship --
- I hope to never see another angel after meeting you.
I don't wanna see you for a while.
- You might.
- No, it's just.
The last 48 hours have been pure hell with me.
- So I haven't been helping save your life.
I've been bothering you. Wow.
Okay.
Awesome. Cool.
So, yeah talk. What do you have to say?
- Are you done talking?
Shut up, shut up, shut up,
stop.
And I know it kills you because you can't not talk,
but that's why people don't want you guarding them.
Part of your uncharming nature
is you talk so frigging much.
- Fine, I'll just shut up.
- I'm gonna sleep at Marty's.
- Of course you're gonna sleep with Marty's.
- Hey.
Okay?
- No, sleep at Marty's have fun.
- You can stay the night here, you can do whatever you want.
And then you-
- Thanks so much.
- Tomorrow, I'd like you to grab your stuff-
- I don't have any stuff.
- Make it all the more easier.
- Go to Marty's.
- Thank you for helping me win the competition.
That's really all I needed you for.
And I hope... I hope for the best
for you in your afterlife.
- Hope the best for you too.
- We're good.
- I'm gonna be fine.
Six weeks.
He's gonna be wishing I was around in six weeks.
I'm gonna go see The Joker.
- It's best for both of us.
It is the best for both of us.
It is the...
Oh.
(water whooshing)
♪ Coming back to the meadowlands ♪
♪ Where I crawl on my knees and hail, ♪
♪ Yeah yeah, you're my lady, ♪
♪ You're my lady ♪
♪ I've been patiently waiting ♪
♪ Just to knock my socks off ♪
♪ With a vision from my picnic with in my shot ♪