Message in A Bottle begins with Theresa Osborne , a divorced mother taking a little R&R, and while jogging along an obscure beach, finds a bottle stuck in the sand with a message from a mourning husband, Garret.Blake, to his dead wife. The writing of the letter is intended to be a way to relieve the grief stricken Blake. It is his way of anonymously sending a cosmic message that both soothes his soul and allows him to apologize for not being the best husband he could have been. It’s a tender story of how deeply a man loves a woman and in reality, how any man would want to feel about his soul mate. Conversely, Theresa, a researcher for the Chicago Tribune is so moved by the passion and tenderness of the letter that she uses her research skills and the resources of the Tribune to locate exactly where this letter originated. Theresa and her female co-workers all fawn over the magnitude of the emotion expressed in the letter in exactly the way the women listening to Tom Hank’s phone call to a radio shrink, Dr. Marsha Fieldstone in "Sleepless In Seattle" did.

Theresa finds Blake but never tells him why she’s sought him out. This is where the film begins to unravel. There is absolutely no plausible reason for these two completely different individuals to have come together. They are so different, the contrast so stark as to be almost unbelievable. So, they both fall into reluctant love through a myriad of in-law problems, editor in chief problems, a perspective father-in-law’s charm, and Theresa accidental dishonesty. We are also treated to a very creative profile that demonstrates why Blake fell so in love with his deceased wife. We see her through great little snap shots of their life together with none of the verbose syrupiness one would expect from a man devoted to the love of his life.

Paul Newman’s performance was perfect as Dodge Blake, Garret's troubled but charming father. Robin Wright-Penn’s portrayal was a welcome one. She’s come a long way since the soap opera days of Santa Barbara, and The Princess Bride. Kevin Costner’s performance seemed wooden and a bit unrealistic. There were moments though, when Costner knocked it out of the park, especially as, during, and after he discovers Theresa’s honest intentions and dishonest approach.

The continuity of the first hour and a half could have been much better seamed together and the motion could have been more forward looking. Pick any point after the discovery of the message in the bottle to get your popcorn, or whatever. Just be back thirty minutes before the ending and you won’t miss a thing.

Finally, the cinematography is simply spectacular. You’ll swear use can smell the salt air and taste the crabs. Is this a chick’s flick? Definitely, but any man who considers himself sensitive will enjoy Message in A Bottle.

See you at the movies

Mike Way