The Shipping News (2001)

An emotionally beaten man with his young daughter moves to his ancestral home in Newfoundland to reclaim his life.

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

Annie Proulx (based on the novel by) (as E. Annie Proulx), Robert Nelson Jacobs (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Spacey	...	Quoyle
Julianne Moore	...	Wavey Prowse
Judi Dench	...	Agnis Hamm
Cate Blanchett	...	Petal
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Tert Card
Scott Glenn	...	Jack Buggit
Rhys Ifans	...	Beaufield Nutbeem
Gordon Pinsent	...	Billy Pretty
Jason Behr	...	Dennis Buggit
Larry Pine	...	Bayonet Melville
Jeannetta Arnette	...	Silver Melville
Robert Joy	...	EMS Officer
Alyssa Gainer	...	Bunny Quoyle
Kaitlyn Gainer	...	Bunny Quoyle
Lauren Gainer	...	Bunny Quoyle

Storyline

An inksetter in New York, Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) returns to his family's longtime home, a small fishing town in Newfoundland, with his young daughter, Bunny (Alyssa, Kaitlyn, and Lauren Gainer), after a traumatizing experience with her mother, Petal (Cate Blanchett), who sold her to an illegal adoption agency. Though Quoyle has had little success thus far in life, his shipping news column in the newspaper "The Gammy Bird" finds an audience, and his experiences in the town change his life. Then he meets the widow Wavey Prowse (Julianne Moore).

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Plot Keywords:

newspaper | pantyhose | ship | wake | husband wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

You'll never guess what you'll find inside...

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language, sexuality and disturbing images

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scenes in which Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) is in the water were filmed at a tank in St. John's, Newfoundland (normally used for testing boats and marine technology). The tank, which normally contains cold Atlantic sea water, had to be specially filled with warm water for Spacey's comfort.

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Goofs

When Quoyle orders the same squid burger that Nutbeem has there is a shot of the two with a waitress in blue crossing the shot from right to left. The next shot is of Quoyle with the waitress behind him serving coffee. The next shot shows Quoyle and Nutbeem and the waitress crosses the shot from left to right. The next shot is of Quoyle once again, but the waitress is still behind him serving coffee.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Quoyle: [father teaching him literally to sink or swim]
[voice-over]
Quoyle: I used to imagine that I'd been given to the wrong family at birth, and that somewhere in the world my real people longed for me. From where my father stood, my failure to dog-paddle was only the first of many failures. Failure to speak clearly, failure to sit up straight, failure to make friends every time we moved to another dreary upstate town. In me, my father recognized a failed life. His own.

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Connections

References The Shining (1980)

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Soundtracks

Still a Fool
a.k.a. "Two Trains Running"
Written by Muddy Waters (as McKinley Morganfield)
Performed by Joseph Kubek
Featuring Bnois King
Courtesy of Rounder Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

The scenery is the real star of this movie.....

I am a tremendous fan of the book and read it twice. I sense the movie missed the point here. Kevin Spacey does an admirable job with the difficult role of Quoyle, he is shot from strange angles to emphasize a height and width that is not there in real life. I had envisioned Gerard Depardieu in the role, big, hulking and awkward. I note also that one of the daughters was dropped from the movie, there are two in the book. Judi Dench's performance is incredible and her tough almost fatalistic Newfoundland character feels real. Moore is a disappointment, far too beautiful for the role and not as mysterious as depicted in the book. The scenery is incredible, wild and isolated. I enjoyed the soundtrack and the minor characters, all very well acted. I gave it an 8 out of 10 for the fabulous cinematography and Judi Dench.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shipping News

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,205,174, 30 December 2001

Gross USA:

$11,434,216

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$24,690,441

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1