Message in a Bottle

Director: Luis Mandoki, Paul Newman Luis Mandoki

Overview

In this film, Theresa Osborne writes for the Chicago Tribune. While on vacation, Theresa finds a bottle washed up on the shore. She opens it and discovers a love letter. Captivated by the author's words of love, she runs an article about the mystery writer and begins her hunt.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/03/2009
UPC:	0883929090938
Original Release:	1999
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:11:00

Special Features

Closed Caption; Additional scenes; Commentary by director Luis Mandoki and producer Denise Di Novi; 5 special effects featurettes; Filmographies; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kevin Costner	Garret Blake
Robin Wright Penn	Theresa Osborne
Paul Newman	Dodge Blake
Robbie Coltrane	Charlie Toschi
John Savage	Johnny Land
Illeana Douglas	Lina Paul
Jesse James	Jason Osborne
Bethel Leslie	Marta Land
Tom Aldredge	Hank Land
Viveka Davis	Alva
Raphael Sbarge	Andy
Richard Hamilton	Chet
Rosemary Murphy	Helen
Steven Eckholdt	David
Susan Brightbill	Catherine
Patricia Belcher	Annie
Steve Mellor	Man on Dock
Lance Gilbert	Man on Sinking Boat
Hayden Panettiere	Girl on Sinking Boat
Mauricio Ochmann	Actor
Jennifer Lamb	Woman On Sinking Boat
Walt MacPherson	Pete The Cop
Justin DiPego	Typewriter Repairman
Meagan Riley-Grant	Mary
Karen Fowler	Mother in Car
Elizabeth Guindi	Christine
Donald Watson	Diner Patron #1
W. Clapham Murray	Diner Patron #2
Gabriel Yared	Composer

Technical Credits

Nicholas Sparks

Gerald DiPego

Luis Mandoki	Director
Jim Wilson	Producer
Kevin Costner	Producer
David Lester	Executive Producer
Cathy Sandrich Gelfond	Casting
Amanda Mackey Johnson	Casting
David Kelsey	Special Effects
Nicholas Sparks	Screenwriter
Denise Di Novi	Producer
Paul Aulicino	Sound Effects
Bob Beher	Sound Effects
David E. Campbell	Sound Effects
Paul Newman	Director
Casey Cavanaugh	Special Effects
Gerald DiPego	Screenwriter
Cathy Sandrich	Casting
Jose Garcia	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

There's a lot to like in this film from director Luis Mandoki, including a terrific, underrated performance by supporting player Paul Newman, decent production values, and two leads who seem to genuinely like each other -- no small plus in a doomed romance. The film's chief stumbling block is that the source material from Nicholas Sparks and subsequent script adaptation from Gerald Di Pego make the blooming attraction between protagonists Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn seem so predestined, so utterly fated, that the second-act conflicts that arise to keep them temporarily apart feel phony. After a great setup that rivals that of Sleepless in Seattle (1993), it's a letdown when petty concerns over how they met and letting go of the past come between two lovers who have been cast as a modern-day Orpheus and Eurydice. Still, Newman gives one of his great, gruff star turns here and John Savage, wasted in a bit part that is interesting enough to have been more substantial, does some yeoman-like supporting work, diverting attention away from the contrived nature of much of the film's middle portion. Message in a Bottle comes back around again in the end, with an ending that, while not exactly leaving the audience with the feeling that anything has been learned or gained that made the trip worthwhile for the film's surviving hero, also must be given credit for surprisingly not copping out with a typical Hollywood ending. Still, the film's central romance could have used some of the earthy, realistic touch of Mandoki's previous excellent relationship drama, White Palace (1990).