Kernel rating (out of 5): 
MPAA Rating: PG-13 Length: 96 minutes
Age Appropriate for: 12+. For young skateboarders, the film will be most interesting—and perhaps something of a cautionary tale, with its honesty about alcohol, drug use, and other seamier sides of the scene. Otherwise, some cursing and physical injury from the sport.
‘Waiting for Lightning’ taps into the life of skateboarding legend Danny Way, a daredevil who boasts some of the sport’s riskiest stunts. But the low-key, quiet Way doesn’t get too involved in his own documentary, meaning the film only skims the man’s surface but overly exalts him regardless.
By Roxana Hadadi
Danny Way has done some impressive, legendary things for skateboarding, and “Waiting for Lightning” wants us to adore him. But the documentary, which treats Way as an athletic demigod, can’t cover up his private personality and subtle refusal to truly participate. The film makes a case for knowing who Way is, but the whole thing feels too commercial—especially when you learn DC Shoes, one of Way’s many sponsors, helped foot the bill—and not at all substantive in the way viewers would want.
