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.

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Plot Keywords:

bottle | letter | love | beach | jogging | 

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Taglines:

A story of love lost and found.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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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.

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Goofs

The cars that Theresa rents have both front and back license plates. North Carolina doesn't use front plates.

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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!

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: From Paris with Love/Dear John/Frozen (2010)

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Soundtracks

"I Could Not Ask For More"
Written by Diane Warren
Produced by Matt Serletic
Performed by Edwin McCain
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.

User Reviews

Kevin Costner....

I can't help but love this movie. When watching this movie, I felt as if I was right inside with the people and it was real life. All the emotions that Kevin's character goes through shows this sensitive side of him that is not always shown in his movies. I cried for his loss and cheered him on in finding another person to understand and love him for who he is. The depth of this film made me want to be in love and to share that experience with someone.