As slow and laid-back as the lifestyle on North Carolina's Outer Banks where much of its story is set, "Message in a Bottle" is a dramatically solid but certainly less than surprising romantic tearjerker. Aimed squarely at the typical audience that reads melodramatic romance novels while vacationing at such a seaside destination, the film borders on melodrama -- especially toward its somewhat contrived ending -- but otherwise serves its purpose of working up the emotions of those falling into the fairer gender.
Based on the novel by Nicolas Sparks' best seller of the same name, the film succeeds mainly due to its stellar cast and their solid and -- for some -- charismatic performances. Although we're referring to the supporting roles that are by far the most enjoyable -- especially when compared with the dour and cautious characters played by the leads -- everyone involved is good.
That's not to say, however, that they're always believable, and we're specifically calling attention to the role of Garret in that regard. While the character, as played by Kevin Costner in his second boating feature (the other being "Waterworld"), is, for the most part, still realistically grief stricken, certain elements don't always play out as believably.
While he understandably hasn't moved his deceased wife's belongings since the day of her untimely death, it's extremely unlikely under those circumstances that he'd invite a woman over to his -- and his wife's -- home for dinner, or would fall for her so quickly and easily. While some resistance does finally show up, I never fully bought into the way his character was presented. Although I appreciate -- in theory -- the contradictory feelings confronting him and the dramatic complications they cause, in practice it doesn't feel or unfold in a believable enough fashion.
Beyond that, there's a certain "prop" that's improbably stored in an extremely unlikely place -- considering the invitation for a character to share that room and the harsh ramifications should the prop be discovered -- and an unnecessary twist at the film's end that are too convenient and collectively come mighty close to mawkish melodrama.
While the first is present to add a dramatic complication and the latter was obviously inserted to shamelessly elicit tears, both moments seem too artificially constructed to be as effective as the filmmakers' apparently want them to be.
Fortunately for the film and its audience, an attractive and talented cast has been employed to carry the otherwise predictable and slow-moving affair. While many have criticized Kevin Costner ("Dances With Wolves," "No Way Out") in the past (specifically for roles not entirely suited for his acting range and style -- and for everything to do with "The Postman"), he gives a solid performance here (notwithstanding the afore mentioned character problems).
Likewise, Robin Wright Penn ("Forrest Gump," "Hurlyburly") is very good as the romantically cautious, single mom character, and her performance here may lead to more higher profile leading parts in the future.
The best performances, however, are reserved for the supporting cast members whose only drawback is that they're unfortunately shortchanged regarding their time on screen. The incomparable Paul Newman ("Nobody's Fool," "Cool Hand Luke") is always a delight to catch anytime he appears in a new -- or for that matter, old -- film, and he delivers a fun take here as the gruff, old man father figure. Meanwhile, the vastly underused Illeana Douglas (regarding both this and other films) is enjoyable as Theresa's coworker and best friend, while Robbie Coltrane is good in an even briefer role.
While the film manages to efficiently and, for the most part, effectively deliver its goods, one can't help but feel that Sparks' original novel probably works much better, especially when considering that its story is obviously afforded more time to develop and properly explore the characters and their behavior.
That theory is somewhat proven by the fact that the film's strongest moments are those where the poetic and previously bottled messages are read aloud. Clearly featuring more depth and resonance than anything else that occurs, they exude that narrative feel more often found in novels than films (the latter being much more of a visual than literary medium) and certainly exceed anything else this film tries to muster.
Of course, different moviegoers will obviously react differently to this film, with women most likely more favorably accepting and appreciating the proceedings than the men they drag along with them to see it. Although it's not a horrible film by any means and the great cast certainly makes it easy to watch, its slow pace and occasional near melodramatic moments may make this too much of a "chick flick" for some viewers. We give "Message in a Bottle" a 5.5 out of 10.
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