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.

Director:

Ken Kwapis

Writers:

Jack Amiel (screenplay), Michael Begler (screenplay)

Stars:

Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, John Pingayak

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Pingayak	...	Malik
Ahmaogak Sweeney	...	Nathan
John Chase	...	Roy
Ishmael Angalook Hope	...	Bud
Othniel 'Anaqulutuq' Oomittuk Jr.	...	Inupiat Whaler
John Krasinski	...	Adam Carlson
Andrew Daly	...	Don Davis
Thomas R. Daly	...	Frank
Maliaq Kairaiuak	...	Dana
Jeffrey Evan	...	Arnold
Drew Barrymore	...	Rachel Kramer
Ted Danson	...	J.W. McGraw
Randy Eledge	...	Oil Man
Thom Van Dorp	...	Don Carr
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Pat Lafayette

Storyline

October, 1988. Adam Carlson, a reporter for a local Anchorage television station, is currently in Barrow doing a series of pieces on the "local cultural color" of northern Alaska. While out on the sea ice filming a less than promising piece, he spots off in the distance what ends up being three California gray whales - a mother, father and son - who are literally imprisoned by ice which has surrounded them in the earlier than usual onset of winter. They are looking worse for wear as they have been ramming the ice surface to maintain a hole in the ice to be able to breathe and thus survive. The professional and cultural assessment he receives is that the whales, in their current situation, cannot survive for more than a few days, with the ice fives miles in distance to the open ocean with a vertical ice shelf that has developed midway. Adam's piece on the whales not only gets played on his station, but is picked up by news services throughout the States, including the national ...

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Plot Keywords:

whale | alaska | save the whale | based on true story | ice | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Family | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Whales

Filming Locations:

Alaska SeaLife Center - 301 Railway Ave, Seward, Alaska, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,760,205, 5 February 2012, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$20,113,965, 30 March 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Anonymous Content, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character Governor Haskell was named Steve Cowper in real life. Kelly Meyers was really Bonnie Mersinger.

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Goofs

Throughout the film, nobody's breath appears when they are outdoors, especially given the frigid temperatures that they were reporting.

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Quotes

Jill Jerard: [Doing a news report on the ice] Cut! God, my feet are numb. These boots are useless.
Jill Jerard: [motions to Nathan]
Jill Jerard: Hey kid, you still got that cardboard?
Nathan: I sold it to the other guy. But I can still get more! It's forty now, though.
Jill Jerard: Forty dollars?
Nathan: Shipping and handling.
Jill Jerard: ...Shipping and handling?
Nathan: [smirks] It's not my first rodeo, either.

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the credits, when the Working Title logo appears, we hear the songs of the whales.

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Connections

References Wall Street (1987)

User Reviews

Good Family Movie With Whales & Ensemble Cast

Big Miracle dramatizes the real life struggle of three gray whales trapped in the ice near Barrow, Alaska. While my daughter told me what happens before we saw the movie, I still enjoyed the movie for its heart-warming and touching story of humans and nature.

Big Miracle has an ensemble cast that was very good. Drew Barrymore, in particular, did an outstanding job as a Greenpeace activist trying to save the gray whales. And, Ten Danson was fun as the oil magnate who sees an opportunity to help save the whales for some good PR.

The highlight of the movie was the Inupiat actors, who were charming and added warmth to the movie. The grandfather Inupiat stole every scene with his strong and quiet presence, and he provided several funny moments. His young grandson was also outstanding as the young friend to John Krasinki's character.

Big Miracle, however, did move slowly and many scenes seemed forced in drawing laughter or empathy. My wife and I enjoyed the movie for its touching story and appealing characters, but our kids said they were bored and uninterested. At the very least, catch Big Miracle at a matinée.