The Shipping News (2001)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers (WGA):

Annie Proulx (novel)
Robert Nelson Jacobs (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 January 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Dive Beneath The Surface

Plot:

An emotionally-beaten man with his young daughter moves to his ancestral home in Newfoundland to reclaim his life.

Plot Keywords:

Newfoundland | Newspaper | Car Crash | Outsider | Capsize

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Kevin Spacey	...	Quoyle
Julianne Moore	...	Wavey Prowse
Judi Dench	...	Agnis Hamm
Cate Blanchett	...	Petal
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Tert Card
Scott Glenn	...	Jack Buggit
Rhys Ifans	...	Beaufield Nutbeem
Gordon Pinsent	...	Billy Pretty
Jason Behr	...	Dennis Buggit
Larry Pine	...	Bayonet Melville
Jeannetta Arnette	...	Silver Melville
Robert Joy	...	EMS Officer
Alyssa Gainer	...	Bunny Quoyle
Kaitlyn Gainer	...	Bunny Quoyle
Lauren Gainer	...	Bunny Quoyle

MPAA:

Rated R for some language, sexuality and disturbing images.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Netherlands:12 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Corner Brook, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

When Billy Bob Thornton was set to direct, he wanted Laura Dern to play Wavey.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Quoyle and Wavey are eating their boxed seal flipper pies, the grease stains on the boxes change from shot to shot.

Quotes:

Jack Buggit: You don't have the sense God gave a donut, do you?

Movie Connections:

References The Shining (1980)

Soundtrack:

Billy Peddle

Actually a pretty good movie

I had seen the good rating of Shipping News before I watched it, and I would like to give it a shot.

Lasse Hallström did a good job when he directed The Cider House Rules, and Kevin Spacey is of course a good actor with movies like The Usual Suspects, LA Confidential and K-Pax. Furthermore we got supporting actresses such as the lovely Julianne Moore and talented Cate Blanchett, it was promising.

The movie is mostly a drama, but it succeeds in giving the audience some laughs when needed, which is important to me. Dramas can be too depressing sometimes, but it is of course sometimes needed to make a statement. Anyway, it is not needed in Shipping News and Lasse Hallström understands this very well.

The acting is great, the stars I mentioned earlier deliver good performances, but we also get the pleasure to watch other good actors too, so the cast really gives us a good movie.

Actually there are mainly positive things to say about this movie, the picture quality was good and the environment at Newfoundland created a good atmosphere. The only thing I would critisise is that the movie maybe could have been a bit longer, there were a few issues that I would like to have seen sorted out.

I have rated this movie 7/10, but it maybe deserved a little more. It is definitely worth watching.