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IMDbPro

Big Miracle

  • 2012
  • PG
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
20K
YOUR RATING
Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski in Big Miracle (2012)
In small town Alaska, a news reporter recruits his ex-girlfriend — a Greenpeace volunteer — on a campaign to  save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.
Play trailer2:33
26 Videos
43 Photos
BiographyDramaFamily

In small-town Alaska, a news reporter recruits his Greenpeace-volunteer ex-girlfriend on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly-forming ice in the Arctic Circle.In small-town Alaska, a news reporter recruits his Greenpeace-volunteer ex-girlfriend on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly-forming ice in the Arctic Circle.In small-town Alaska, a news reporter recruits his Greenpeace-volunteer ex-girlfriend on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly-forming ice in the Arctic Circle.

  • Director
    • Ken Kwapis
  • Writers
    • Jack Amiel
    • Michael Begler
    • Tom Rose
  • Stars
    • Drew Barrymore
    • John Krasinski
    • John Pingayak
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    20K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ken Kwapis
    • Writers
      • Jack Amiel
      • Michael Begler
      • Tom Rose
    • Stars
      • Drew Barrymore
      • John Krasinski
      • John Pingayak
    • 78User reviews
    • 114Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos26

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 2:33
    Watch U.S. Version
    Big Miracle: Mcgraw Thanks Rachel For Her Help Saving The Whales
    Clip 0:38
    Watch Big Miracle: Mcgraw Thanks Rachel For Her Help Saving The Whales
    Big Miracle: Adam Interviews Rachel About Whales
    Clip 0:45
    Watch Big Miracle: Adam Interviews Rachel About Whales
    Big Miracle: Malik Tries To Help Nathan Hear The Whales
    Clip 0:51
    Watch Big Miracle: Malik Tries To Help Nathan Hear The Whales
    Big Miracle: Jill Convinces Adam And Rachel To Give Her A Ride To The Whales
    Clip 0:42
    Watch Big Miracle: Jill Convinces Adam And Rachel To Give Her A Ride To The Whales
    Big Miracle: Mcgraw Sees The Whales For The First Time
    Clip 0:35
    Watch Big Miracle: Mcgraw Sees The Whales For The First Time
    Big Miracle: Col. Boyer Asks Kelly If The President Has A Plan B
    Clip 0:43
    Watch Big Miracle: Col. Boyer Asks Kelly If The President Has A Plan B
    Big Miracle: The Whales Start Their Journey Through The Newly Cut Holes In The Ice
    Clip 0:41
    Watch Big Miracle: The Whales Start Their Journey Through The Newly Cut Holes In The Ice
    An Inside Look
    Featurette 3:00
    Watch An Inside Look
    Big Miracle: Ahmaogak (Featurette)
    Featurette 1:53
    Watch Big Miracle: Ahmaogak (Featurette)
    Big Miracle: Kristen Bell On Her Character
    Featurette 0:40
    Watch Big Miracle: Kristen Bell On Her Character
    Big Miracle: Drew's Coldwater Dive (Featurette)
    Featurette 1:48
    Watch Big Miracle: Drew's Coldwater Dive (Featurette)

    Photos43

    Big Miracle (2012)
    Ken Kwapis in Big Miracle (2012)
    Kristen Bell in Big Miracle (2012)
    Drew Barrymore in Big Miracle (2012)
    Ahmaogak Sweeney in Big Miracle (2012)
    Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski in Big Miracle (2012)
    Dermot Mulroney in Big Miracle (2012)
    John Krasinski in Big Miracle (2012)
    James Le Gros and Rob Riggle in Big Miracle (2012)
    Kristen Bell and John Krasinski in Big Miracle (2012)
    John Krasinski and Ahmaogak Sweeney in Big Miracle (2012)
    Dermot Mulroney and Ted Danson in Big Miracle (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Drew Barrymore
    Drew Barrymore
    • Rachel Kramer
    John Krasinski
    John Krasinski
    • Adam Carlson
    John Pingayak
    • Malik
    Ahmaogak Sweeney
    Ahmaogak Sweeney
    • Nathan
    John Chase
    • Roy
    Ishmael Angalook Hope
    • Bud
    Othniel 'Anaqulutuq' Oomittuk Jr.
    • Inupiat Whaler
    Andy Daly
    Andy Daly
    • Don Davis
    • (as Andrew Daly)
    Thomas R. Daly
    • Frank
    Maliaq Kairaiuak
    • Dana
    Jeffrey Evan
    • Arnold
    Ted Danson
    Ted Danson
    • J.W. McGraw
    Randy Eledge
    • Oil Man
    Thom Van Dorp
    Thom Van Dorp
    • Don Carr
    Tim Blake Nelson
    Tim Blake Nelson
    • Pat Lafayette
    Stephen Root
    Stephen Root
    • Governor Haskell
    Maury Ginsberg
    Maury Ginsberg
    • News Producer #1
    Kelly Lee Williams
    • News Producer #2
    • Director
      • Ken Kwapis
    • Writers
      • Jack Amiel(screenplay)
      • Michael Begler(screenplay)
      • Tom Rose(book "Freeing the Whales")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The sportscaster shown at the end of the archived news clip is a young Sarah Palin.
    • Goofs
      When the Greenpeace activist dives under the ice in a wetsuit, she has red thermal gloves on. While submerged and using her knife to cut away the net on the baby whale's fluke, her bare hands are visible. When she surfaces, the red gloves are back on.
    • Quotes

      Adam Carlson: I think Barrow might have one great story left in her.

    • Crazy credits
      During the credits, on the left side are scenes from the movie characters and on the right side, archive footage of the real people.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Colbert Report: Drew Barrymore (2012)

    User reviews78

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Exciting and very well done
    TV news reporter Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) and Green Peace worker, Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore), help enlist an Alaskan town to save a family of gray whales trapped by fast moving ice.

    This is inspired by a true story in Barrow, Alaska in 1988.

    Hey, I found a way to keep cool this summer: watch movies that have Alaska as the location. Seeing all that ice, and extremely cold water does it. If you don't believe this: try it and see for yourself.

    In 1988, the trapped whales became a big story throughout the USA. Actual footage by the stars of network news all chimed in, and the president of the US gets updates on the progress.

    The whales are cut off from the ocean by 5-miles of ice. They cannot swim underwater for that distance without coming up for air. Hence, the townspeople cut holes in the ice so the whales can come up and breathe. In time, the holes are cut as stepping stones all the way to the ocean. Will the whales follow the newly cut holes? The hated oilmen see a good PR scenario and jump in to help out. Two Minnesota men had invented a De-Icer and they want to use it to keep the ice from forming quickly in the holes as the temperature falls dangerously low. Will it work in the freezing temperature?

    A Hover Barge, being flown by 2-helicopters, is on the way to the whales. The Hover Barge uses compressed air to break up the ice it passes over. Will it be in time? Can the townspeople cut the holes fast enough for the required 5-miles? There is some talk of getting the Russians to help out with their ice-breaking vessel. Some like that idea, some do not.

    I had no idea this would be as exciting as it was. Very good. This was an extremely well done production. The entire cast were unbelievably good. Nothing dragged. Dialogues were spot on. The editing made everything run smoothly and the photography was unbelievably sharp. I knew from the title above that all would be okay, but still there was suspense throughout. I have no idea how the whale shots were accomplished whether using actual whales or CGI. Whatever made these shots look real, this was truly spectacular. Kudos.

    All in all a very good family movie about people coming together to save the whales. At the end you might want to keep a box of Kleenex handy. When the credits run, you will see actual footage of the people working to help the rescue effort in 1988.

    Now I have to find another movie that has ice and snow to keep me cool as I was with Big Miracle. There is THIN ICE, but that location is in Wisconsin. Gets cold there, doesn't it? It has "ice" in the title………hmmm……….will have to check it out. (7/10)

    Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Some, not much.
    helpful•5
    0
    • bob-rutzel-1
    • Jul 19, 2012

    FAQ1

    • Did they use real whales in this film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 3, 2012 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Everybody Loves Whales
    • Filming locations
      • Barrow, Alaska, USA
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Anonymous Content
      • Working Title Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $20,157,300
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,760,205
      • Feb 5, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $24,740,061
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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