MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE A film review by David N. Butterworth Copyright 1999 David N. Butterworth
**1/2 (out of ****)
After dropping her son off with her ex-husband, Theresa Osborne (Robin Wright Penn) elects to spend a few days on the Cape before returning to the Windy City. While jogging on the beach, she discovers a bottle half-buried in the sand. Inside, there's a love letter. "Dear Catherine..." the note begins. It's signed "G."
Theresa is so immediately struck by the poetry, the passion, and the honesty of the writing that she's determined to locate its author. Charlie, her editor at the "Chicago Tribune" (a well-cast Robbie Coltrane), sees this as a great human interest story and prints the letter without Theresa's input. The article produces a bonanza of reader feedback: two more letters materialize, both written on the same, handcrafted paper and using the same old-fashioned typewriter. Since Theresa works in the research department, it isn't long before she's tracked the creator of these beautifully heartfelt passages to the little town of St. Claire on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Cute idea for a movie, especially one called "Message in a Bottle." Actually, it's a cute idea for a book, since the film is based on Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name. Apparently the book is more moving than the film: "I didn't cry during this but when I read the book I couldn't hold back the tears," an older gentleman commented during the end credits. Hmm...
Once Theresa shows up in St. Claire, starts poking around, and discovers that "G." is, in fact, Kevin Costner... well. Things take a turn for the worse.
That's not exactly fair. Costner, as Garret Blake, a boat restorer with a dead wife and adversarial in-laws, is no worse here than he was in, say, "The Bodyguard." But he does tend to play two--and only two--distinct roles. The significant, allegorical, God-like-figure role--The Mariner, The Postman, Lt. John Dunbar, Robin Hood. Or the goofy, irreverent, sexy hunk who wears his baseball cap backwards and believes in long, slow, deep, soft, wet kisses that last three days role.
"Message in a Bottle" bids Costner a return to his more romantic roots, but since he's in mourning throughout most of the picture, he slips into portraying The Carpenter.
Robin Wright Penn is attractive and earnest herself, so the two get on well enough, but most of what they say and do is the stuff of clichéd cinema, which makes the second half of the film less interesting than the first.
It's not that Theresa and Garret don't have any chemistry; they're easy and likable and kind of chummy together. But the film doesn't take any risks. It's an unapologetic tearjerker right down to its manipulative climax. And, of course, there's the big scene in the rain following Garret's painful realization of why Theresa came to St. Claire in the first place. Why do films insist on pelting our heroes with tens of gallons of water during key moments such as this? And why did I keep looking to see if Garret had little flaps of skin behind his ears?
Fortunately, "Message in a Bottle" has Paul Newman onboard to smack Theresa and Garret around a bit. As Garret's father Dodge, Newman steals the film with his sarcastic put-downs and, frankly, superior acting talents. Hats off to the film's producers for having the foresight to sign the gracefully-aging veteran. Without him, "Message in a Bottle" would be lost at sea.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb61@hotmail.com
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