Message In A Bottle
Message In A Bottle
Here we have it. After a rocky few films, Kevin Costner needs to get into safe money making territory. And, above anyone else, Kevin Costner is a star that needs safety in dollar bills. Because he is now like the kid that says something stupid and the crowd laugh at him. Even if what that kid is saying makes perfect sense, he still gets laughed at, just because he said it. The nasty crowd in this case is mainly the American film critics. Their reason for being so cruel is because, when he attempted to make a four hour western about an Indian loving civil war hero, the critics laughed their hats off at the thought of some "hot-shot, All-American, film star" making a dramatic politically correct western. They said " Oh, look at Mr. "I can't put a foot wrong" Costner. He thinks he can direct now? Does he?. Well, the problem was, he could. The film was a mighty success and even won a few Oscars. The critics were wrong. And they hated every minute of it. Ever since, they have been out for his blood. He has made some good films(The War), the critics tried to knock him. And he has made some horrible films(The Postman), then the critics destroyed him. And now, as I said, Message In A Bottle is a safe bet, a simple dramatic romance that will 'em all happy across the boards.
I can guarantee only two things that you will feel after you leave this film 1. You will cough splutter and gurgle in tears of sadness or happiness all the way home and then you will cuddle up with your loved one and wish to never let that person go. Or, 2. You will cough, splutter and gurgle in tears of disgust at the thought that you spent two and a half hours sitting in a dark room with people like that of type 1 and run straight to the pub to reassure yourself that you are definitely not gay.
And this is the story. Reporter jogs along beach one morning, only to discover a (guess what?) "message In A Bottle". The aforementioned message is a love letter from Garrret(Costner) to his deceased wife. Theresa takes the letter to her office and all the females double over in doe eyed gooey-ness. She is a single mother who has not had a relationship for some time and believes this guy could be the answer to her dreams. Thus, with the aid of the internet and her cute journalistic skills, she tracks the dreamboat down (is there anything the internet can't do). That is the first 15 minutes.
Now, over the next half an hour we see the courtship of Costner and Wright Penn. Now, it is at this point that I have a major problem with the film. These are the two main characters, the story is about finding love over great barriers(i.e. Costners' devotion to his dead wife) And we are automatically made to assume that the two have fallen in love with the aid of a few romantic shots, picnic by the beach, wine in front of a soft fire and a "cute" marshmallow fight. This to me is lazy and cheap.
An excellent example of how it should be done can be seen in Richard Linklaters "Before Sunrise". The two meet, and through the use of intelligent dialogue and conversations we eventually realise that they have fallen in love.
In "Message In A Bottle" the love is false. This is because I did not believe they had fallen in love. All we know is that Wright Penn is infatuated with the person in the letter, she needs to fill the void in her own loveless life. She sees her ex-husband happily married and she can't stand that. So she hunts poor Garret down, lies to him and tries snuggle into his heart where is dead wife had left off. Garret is still over-poweringly in love with his dead wife. And falls for her for all the wrong reasons. I can hear shouts of "Oh, come on. That's what its all about." And to that I say. "Yes I know. That is what I did not like, the entire love aspect of the story was carried out like a cheap TV movie. Just take a look at the stupid love scene. I was not in my living room and I could not change the channels."
But, and there always is a but. The sub-plot of Costners upside down relationship with his father was what saved the film for me. It restored the films dignity. Giving us some truly memorable moments. Most of which were when Paul Newman was on screen, Garret wise-ass old father. One in particular, is the stand-off between father and son. I came to the conclusion that if the film had focused on this relationship rather than the love story we would have had one fine film. It made me remember just how good Newman really is. He adds a shine to the film whenever we see him. Some praise must also be given to Costner and Wright Penn, who wisely underplayed their characters.
Overall this is rocky film, it hit and missed. Missing on the love story and hitting on the lesser parts of the film. Entertaining viewing for those who like to sob at the drop of a hat, and torturous for those who can't.
