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:

bottle | letter | love | woman | message in a bottle | 

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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 USA:

$18,852,976, 12 February 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$52,880,016

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$118,880,016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bel Air Entertainment, DiNovi Pictures, Tig Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The producers originally planned to film on Tangier Island, Virginia, USA, but some members of the town council objected to the drinking, cursing and sex in the movie and demanded script revisions in exchange for shooting permission. Warner Brothers then tried Martha's Vineyard near Chilmark, Massachusetts, USA, but the Chilmark Conservation Commission turned down a request to build a temporary 3,000-square-foot house on stilts in the dunes near Chilmark Pond.

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Goofs

In his final letter to Catherine, Garret writes that he regrets watching Theresa get into a plane and fly away, but when she left him she drove away in a rental car (the airport scene was deleted).

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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 Tatort: Die kleine Zeugin (2000)

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Soundtracks

Beyond the Blue
Written by Beth Nielsen Chapman and Gary Nicholson
Performed by Beth Nielsen Chapman
Courtesy of Reprise Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

"Choose between yesterday and tomorrow. Pick one. Stick with it."

While on vacation, a single mother identified as Theresa discovers a 'message in a bottle' on the shore that has moving honest words of love addressed to a woman named Catherine…

The trail leads her to a sailboat builder named Garrett and also to his father, Dodge in a small North Carolina coastal town… It turns out that Catherine is Garret's deceased wife, and the intriguing letters were written, two years earlier, after her decease…

Some people find the one true love of their lives, if they're fortunate enough… Luis Mandoki's film, in part, turns out to be a choice about what occurs when a person finds that right kind of love, then when he is faced with the impossible, and then when he is given the right to continue with his life and is brave enough to love again no matter how unpleasant his grief is…

As a reclusive widower, Garret was still in deep pain, and entirely devoted to Catherine's memory… He had hard time letting go of the past… Catherine was dead but not forgotten and was simply everywhere…

As a sailor Costner didn't inherit the charm of Newman… He was drawn to Penn by her smile, her beauty, even her mistakes…

Robin Wright Penn was beautiful, delicate and sweet as Theresa… She soon insinuates her way into Garret's life… Her expectations were always too high… Since the beginning, she just had to meet the person that wrote those letters… Her life was changed by them… Eventually when she met Garret that morning, she accepted, without hesitation, to step aboard…

Paul Newman as Dodge liked Theresa instantly… He saw in her the key to his son's emotional recovery…

With a very nice music, and a stunning coastal photography—also the ocean scenes are wonderfully taken—"Message in a Bottle" is definitely a weepy melodrama and a must see for those who believe, or don't, in love…