Message in a Bottle (1999)

A woman discovers a tragic love letter in a bottle on a beach, and is determined to track down its author.

Director:

Luis Mandoki

Writers:

Nicholas Sparks (novel), Gerald Di Pego (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Robin Wright, Paul Newman

5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	Garret Blake
Robin Wright	...	Theresa Osborne (as Robin Wright Penn)
Paul Newman	...	Dodge Blake
John Savage	...	Johnny Land
Illeana Douglas	...	Lina Paul
Robbie Coltrane	...	Charlie Toschi
Jesse James	...	Jason Osborne
Bethel Leslie	...	Marta Land
Tom Aldredge	...	Hank Land
Viveka Davis	...	Alva
Raphael Sbarge	...	Andy
Richard Hamilton	...	Chet
Rosemary Murphy	...	Helen at the B&B
Steven Eckholdt	...	David Osborne
Susan Brightbill	...	Catherine Land Blake

Storyline

A woman finds a romantic letter in a bottle washed ashore and tracks down the author, a widowed shipbuilder whose wife died tragically early. As a deep and mutual attraction blossoms, the man struggles to make peace with his past so that he can move on and find happiness.

---

Plot Keywords:

bottle | letter | love | beach | jogging | 

---

Taglines:

A story of love lost and found.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official German Site (Tobis) Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mensaje de amor

Filming Locations:

Bath, Maine, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£579,997 (UK) (23 April 1999)

Gross:

£1,922,276 (UK) (14 May 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bel Air Entertainment, DiNovi Pictures, Tig Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Garret arrives at Theresa's apartment, the show playing on the TV that she turns off is Perfect Strangers The two main characters in that show worked at a Chicago newspaper, just as Theresa does.

---

Goofs

Theresa opens the envelope containing the two photos from Garrett and reads the message written on the back of one photo before her editor enters the room, but after he has come in and given her the photo of himself, she opens the (now sealed) envelope again.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Jason Osborne: [disembarking] Where are they?
Theresa Osborne: Um... You know, they're probably just running late, they'll be here baby.
Jason Osborne: I see 'em. Daddy! Daddy!

---

Connections

Referenced in Hamlet (2000)

---

Soundtracks

"Only Lonely"
Written by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Mark Bryan, Jim 'Soni' Sonefeld (as Jim Sonefeld)
Performed by Hootie & the Blowfish (as Hootie & The Blowfish)
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

9 out of 10... Loved it!

I really enjoyed the peacefulness of the surroundings. The beautiful foggy mornings near the ocean is an all natural calmer. Just overall a wonderful movie. Very moving. Each of us Have loved or will have loved so deeply as to make our very souls leap into unfathomable joy. This movie grabs hold of the heart of the viewer and keeps you intrigued from the beginning to the end. It engages the inner self to want to reach out, take hold of life and love with the clarity to which we all want to be loved. It reminds us when you love, let it be always unconditional. Let it be forever. A well written movie. One, every person should take time to see.