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"Message in the Bottle" is, like the tag-line suggests, a tale of love lost and found. The way I was introduced to this film is rather interesting, I suppose. Many years ago I came across it when I was searching online for information regarding the 1977 classic Disney film "The Rescuers." Both films share the theme of the "message in the bottle" so the connection lead me to this 1999 film. Finally, I saw it for sale in a grocery store's bargain DVD bin and just had to bring it home with me, so I did. I could not have been more pleased. The film is touching in many ways, beautifully filmed, with fantastic characters and great acting. It's a refreshing tale of love that does leave a bittersweet impact, and probably will not be forgotten easily. It is also interesting that I found this film so captivating, because romance tales have never really been of interest to me. Emily Brontë's novel, "Wuthering Heights," was the first time I felt interested in a story of love, enough to keep me reading, very intrigued, through its hundreds of pages. "Message in a Bottle" did the same thing, it intrigued me. The gorgeously filmed sceneries automatically appealed to me; sights of lighthouses, docks and ships, ships out at sea, ocean waves, beautiful sunsets... not to forget the message in the bottle. To me it was like watching one of Thomas Kinkade's paintings come to life right before my eyes; the sceneries in this film are that beautiful.This is the story of a young woman named Theresa, who works for the Chicago Tribune. She and her ex-husband had recently divorced and the two exchanged the time they would spend with their one son. One day, during a visit to the shore, Theresa finds a simple bottle stranded on the sand and discovers inside it a message from a mysterious man addressed to a certain "Dear Catherine." Theresa is touched by the profound love expressed by this person to their beloved, deceased wife, and so are her friends at work when they read it. Theresa is not happy when her friends at the Chicago Tribune decide to publish the message in their newspaper, for she believes the person had meant the message to be personal and private. Still, Theresa becomes intrigued with this man and longs to find him. With a crew of investigators, she uses every clue she has, including a second and third message, to track down the author of these messages. Her investigation leads her to a seaside town in North Carolina and a certain G. Blake. She has high expectations of this man and quickly sets out to find him. When she finally does, her expectations are exceeded, and she rapidly falls in love with grieving, timid Garret Blake. She discovers the story behind his wife's death and the rivalry the event left behind for two different family's, Garret's and Catherine's. Garret is unwilling to let go of the past and wants to conserve every memory he has of his deceased wife. That is, until he himself slowly finds himself falling in love with Theresa. The story then changes into one of trust, honesty and understanding, as well as a story of letting go of the past and looking forward, allowing a past life to live only in memories. Both characters struggle within themselves to find their right paths, until the story finally changes back to one of bravery and loss.All in all, a very profound, believable and touching love story. The characters, including Paul Newman as Dodge, Garret's father, are all strong, believable, unique and highly appealing. They're dynamic, they change and grow in one way or another, and that applies to a number of minor characters as well. The story feels like a classic tale of love set in modern times. This doesn't affect the impact of the tale, however, because like I said, the sceneries in this film create on their own a sense of enchanting magic that surrounds the action and the characters. I half-wish that some of the more adult-oriented scenes and language had been left out, thus making this film more appropriate for younger audiences. The film is a perfect love story, refreshing and unique, and why should we not be allowed to experience it when we're younger? Again, this film is beautiful and I'm delighted to have it in my collection. I must say I was shocked at the number of negative reviews this film has received, ranging from bad to mediocre. I guess in the age of dumb comedy and pessimistic disaster films, people are just not yet ready to experience a well told story of life. I never, or very rarely, let others' opinions on a film alter my own views on it, so I give this film nine stars out of ten, which in my book, is excellent!
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