The Perfect Storm (2000)

Director:

Wolfgang Petersen

Writers (WGA):

Sebastian Junger (book)
William D. Wittliff (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 June 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Action | Thriller

Tagline:

In the Fall of 1991, the "Andrea Gail" left Gloucester, Mass. and headed for the fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. Two weeks later, an event took place that had never occurred in recorded history.

Plot:

An unusually intense storm pattern catches some commercial fishermen unaware and puts them in mortal danger.

Plot Keywords:

Storm | Fishing | Ice | Sea | Fishing Boat

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

George Clooney	...	Captain Billy Tyne
Mark Wahlberg	...	Bobby Shatford
Diane Lane	...	Christina Cotter
John C. Reilly	...	Dale 'Murph' Murphy
William Fichtner	...	David 'Sully' Sullivan
John Hawkes	...	Mike 'Bugsy' Moran
Allen Payne	...	Alfred Pierre
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Linda Greenlaw
Karen Allen	...	Melissa Brown
Cherry Jones	...	Edie Bailey
Bob Gunton	...	Alexander McAnally III
Christopher McDonald	...	Todd Gross
Michael Ironside	...	Bob Brown
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Irene 'Big Red' Johnson
Janet Wright	...	Ethel Shatford

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and scenes of peril.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | SDDS (8 channels) | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37526) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Dana Point, California, USA

Company:

Baltimore Spring Creek Productions

Trivia:

The storm in the movie was formed by the remnants of Hurricane Grace in late October and early November 1991.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the middle of the movie, when Irene runs to The Crow's Nest's door, before she enters, she closes her umbrella; after she gets inside, she closes it again.

Quotes:

Christina 'Chris' Cotter: I'll be asleep, and then all of a sudden there he is... that big smile, you know that smile... And I say 'Hey Bobby, where ya been?'... but he won't tell me... He just smiles and says 'Remember I'll always love you Christina... I love you now and I love you forever... No goodbye... Only love... '... and then he's gone... but he's always happy when he goes, so I know he's gotta be OK... absolutely OK...
Ethel Shatford: ...I love your dream...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in I Heart Huckabees: Production Surveillance (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hungry Heart

Not a novel

Having survived (barely, on land) the "No Name Storm" of 1991 on the coast of New England, I assure you this was a true story (I'm mentioning this for the New Zealand poster who said it was adapted from a novel and others who may not realize it really was a *true* story). Obviously, we can't know what was actually said or done once the Andrea Gail lost radio contact (and isn't that true of any movie based on "historical fact" - we can only surmise the actual dialog and conversations that may have taken place). However, the characters were based on the actual crew members and the Coast Guard did have to ditch one helicopter during the storm - from a story I read in People magazine, I'd say the portrayal of the Coast Guard's actions were accurate. I can't say I liked this movie - perhaps remembering the terror of that night (I lived in a seaside town and the ocean had come over the seawall and was filling up streets 3 and 4 blocks in from the beach) makes it difficult for me to watch this movie as entertainment. In answer to one post here, Clooney said that the Boston accent is one of the most difficult and he didn't even want to attempt it - Markie Mark is from Boston so it wasn't a stretch for him. The special effects are phenomenal of course...I just wish it had a different ending. By the way, the statue of the fisherman at the ship wheel shown at the beginning of the movie is an actual Gloucester landmark (and you can see it on Gorton frozen seafood products which come from Gloucester) - the legend on the base of the monument says, "Those that go down to the sea in ships..."