Message In a Bottle

Starring: Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn
Director: Luis Mandoki
Genre: Drama
Year: 1999
Rating: 3 / 5

Message In a Bottle, yet another attempt by Hollywood to resurrect the faltering film career of Kevin Costner, is a heart-warming tale, filled with a surprising amount of humor, that pleases without truly exciting. Teaming with Costner in this adaptation of the best-selling Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name is Robin Wright Penn (Forrest Gump), who instantly lights up the screen whenever she catches the camera's eye. Equally impressive is the performance of Paul Newman, seventy-three years old and aging gracefully (as opposed to last year's attempt at top billing in Twilight), cast as Costner's crabby father. What stops this movie from being regarded as truly fulfilling is the story's predictability and the absence of a true emotional payoff for the audience.

Message in a Bottle opens with Teresa (Wright Penn), a researcher for the Chicago Tribune, wandering directionless through life. She is divorced, with a young child, whose father she is off to meet at the film's outset. While on this custody-sharing excursion, Teresa allows herself a small vacation. It is on this vacation, while jogging on the beach, that she happens upon a partially-submerged bottle, complete with type-written message. Signed only with a "G," and addressed to a mysterious "Catherine," Teresa finds herself mesmerized by the author's words, so sets off on a quest to find him.

Tracking down the origin of the stationary on which the letter was written, as well as some careful research into ocean currents, Teresa eventually tracks the bottle back to North Carolina. It is there that she meets Garrett Blake (Costner) and his painful past. Posing as a curious tourist, Teresa is determined to uncover the story behind Garrett. Yet as she delves deeper into this mystery, and begins to fall in love with him, Teresa learns that Garrett is a man trapped in the past, a past from which he may not be able to tear himself.

This film is well-acted from start to finish, and includes some truly picturesque views of the Carolina coastline. Led by an emotionally-charged soundtrack, Garrett Blake's tale unfolds before his new admirer. Though this love story will elicit quite a few tears from the audience, no one can truly doubt where the film is heading. It is this obvious truth which takes some wind out of the proverbial sails, as we are left to merely await its arrival. Message in a Bottle can be classified as an enjoyable diversion, for someone looking for a little humor and a little hope in an otherwise-confusing life. Just do not stake your future to a note adrift at sea...

Cast:

Kevin Costner..........	Garrett Blake
Robin Wright Penn..........	Teresa
Paul Newman..........	Dodge Blake

Certification: Rated PG-13.
Running Time: 120 minutes.

Comments: Send E-mail