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) (as Gerald DiPego)

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Robin Wright, Paul Newman

6 nominations.

Cast

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

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:

letter | sex | grief | bottle | love | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie is set in North Carolina, but at the end of the movie when Dodge is brought to Garrets boat the Game Wardens sleeve patches have the state of Maine Logo.

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Goofs

Not sure if this is a mistake in the movie or a viewer missing something but if Catherine throws the bottle into the ocean while living in North Carolina how come Theresa finds it later while she's living in Chicago? The two places don't share the ocean.

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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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Crazy Credits

"Girl with lantern" painting by Helen Turner Greenville County Museum of Art

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Connections

Referenced in The Office: Lotto (2011)

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Soundtracks

Let Me Let Go
Written by Steve Diamond and Dennis Morgan
Produced by David Foster
Performed by Faith Hill
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records

User Reviews

Take Newman out, and there is nothing here.

I was sort of hoping to enjoy this flick, but boy was I disappointed. First of all, the story is set in The Outer Banks of North Carolina, but clearly this film was shot nowhere The Outer Bank, and I would say nowhere near North Carolina. My best guess would be that they took their cameras up to Maine or something and thought that no one would see the difference. BIG MISTAKE! People who have been there know how beautiful The Outer Banks really are, and will recognize the difference. Secondly, this story is just dumb, drawn out, and overly melodramatic. This story could probably have been told in just over an hour, not just over two. The filmmakers got a little trigger happy when Costner signed on, and went overboard(no pun intended) with everything, the result being a confused, disappointing mess. The one bright light in all this muck of a film is the startling performance given by Paul Newman. Sure, it is basically the same character that he played in Nobody's Fool, but who cares. The man is still one of the finest actors that ever lived, and this performance is among some of his best work. If you decide to watch this film, do it so you can enjoy Newman's wonderful performance. His work is the only reason that this film should be viewed.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Message in a Bottle

Filming Locations:

Bath, Maine, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,751,560, 14 February 1999

Gross USA:

$52,880,016

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$118,880,016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Bel Air Entertainment, Tig Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1