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

The sites that were finally chosen for most of the shooting of the scenes of Garret's hometown were Northport and Popham Beach, Maine. Over $250,000. of renovations were done to the seasonal home in Popham that became Garret's house, including the addition of the room which held Catherine's artwork and the adjacent living room with fireplace (faux). At the end of filming the owner of the house demanded that it be returned to its original state costing the production company nearly as much to undo.

---

Goofs

When Garret is typing the last letter to Catherine to tell her about Theresa, the first word he types is "It". When the letter is read in voiceover, it starts out with the word "My".

---

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 Richard Roeper & the Movies: Dear John (2010)

---

Soundtracks

"I Love You"
Written by Sarah McLachlan
Performed by Sarah McLachlan
Courtesy of Nettwerk Productions / Arista Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Treasure

This is the movie that proves that most critics don't know what they're doing. The critics shed their sentimentalism sometime in the mid-1960's, so how could they know or care?

One must have a heart to enjoy "Message in a Bottle". It's a treasure--beautiful, poignant, tragic. The cast is wonderful, and if you don't cry at the ending, you aren't human (which most critics apparently aren't).