Reaching too far...
There are just too many quirky characters,
chirping too many wise old Newfoundland sayings,
with too many bizarre Irish accents, for this to
be taken seriously. Does every single one of
these people have to be quirkishly interesting
with strange habits and cute ancestral tales?
Too much happens too fast. This may have worked
as a 20 part mini series on Bravo or A&E, but it
cannot be crammed into 100 minutes. This is a
prime example of an overly ambitious book
adaptation.
I have said this before... but it is a lot
easier to be profound once you stop trying to be
profound. The Shipping News tries too damn
hard!!!
Ninety percent of you won't like the taste of
this film, and the other 10 percent will think
they like it because the ingredients sound good.
About the only thing this sour film has going
for it is some stunning cinematography, decent
acting from a usually brilliant cast, and sure
handed directing by Lasse Hallstrom who bit off
more than he could chew with this effort.
By
the way... is it just me or did the Fisherman
come back to life after being dead for many many
hours? It seemed like after he coughed up the
water, everything was just fine. I have the
feeling that that was a medical impossibility,
and even if it did happen, there would be severe
brain damage.
There I go, being all logical again.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard Propes' Comment
I probably
should have read this book first...but I didn't.
This is an average film that I can't say I found
myself engrossed in. Kevin Spacey did alright,
but didn't quite give the kind of performance I
would expect. He had quite the supporting cast
here that should have made this an Oscar caliber
film...Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Cate
Blanchett, Pete Postlethwaite and others...yet,
this film never gathers much excitement or
energy. Most of the fans of the book I've spoken
with were disappointed by this film. All I can
say is standing alone, I'm disappointed.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
