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An incredibly romantic movie!

Message in a Bottle is not just a 'chick-flick'. It's a movie for anyone that has loved & lost, then had the courage to try again. It was interesting to watch the mystery unfold as the female lead tracked down the author of the notes. When she finally finds him, the interactions of the couple is wonderful. It was interesting to watch two people wounded in previous relationships slowly reaching for what might become that 'one true love'. The end will blow your mind! It was the first time I've cried in a movie in years. It took my breath away! The photography was spectacular and the sailing scenes (big water, wooden boats, etc). are outstanding. It's a movie I would see again and again and one I will most definitely purchase.

Not believable

For a love story to work, you have to believe that the characters are in love. I never quite buy it in this movie. Robin Wright Penn's usual brilliance and believability can't overcome the stupid plot. And it doesn't help that Kevin Costner comes across as, not merely pining away for his lost love, but mentally challenged. Paul Newman is the best thing in this film. In a movie crammed full of scenes intended to bring viewers to tears, the only one that even came close, for me, was Paul Newman's "You're my son" scene.

Skip this failed attempt and watch Sleepless in Seattle or Forrest Gump instead.

Great Movie!

Just rented this movie...now I am buying it! Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn are beautifully paired. The chemistry between them is very realistic. Would like to see them together in future projects. Paul Newman, as usual, is fantastic. A must see romantic movie!

Do Not See This Movie

OK, the biz touted this as an ideal movie to take a date for Valentine's Day. This is true if suicide is on the agenda. This was a hugely disappointing, depressing movie. The woman I saw the film with was so ticked off at the ending she is still ranting as I type, hours later. It could have been a warm, wonderful love story. They canned that for "drama" or "tragedy" or some other attempt at "art". In these days, many people already lead lives filled with stress, disappointment, tragedy, loss and a whole host of other things listed under the heading "Life Sucks". Sometimes people just want to see a movie that is comforting or uplifting in some way without being saccharine. There has been a real glut of films with horrible endings of late. I am sick of it. I want some escapism. I'd like to feel good for a change when I leave a theater without having to see a "kiddie movie".

FANTASTIC

Extremely romantic and overwhelming

Highly unlikely but entertaining love story

Message in a Bottle is one of those Hollywood love stories that are unlikely to ever happen in real life but are nonetheless entertaining to watch.Robin Wright Penn plays a newspaper researcher who stumbles upon a bottle on a beach containing a message. She is moved by the message and sets about to find out who wrote it. As luck would have it, it turns out to have been written by Kevin Costner who is grieving the recent loss of his wife. Well, you know what happens next.Costner, after those two mega turkeys "Waterworld" and "The Postman", turns in a good performance as Garret, and Wright Penn is adequate as Theresa, however, it is veteran Paul Newman who walks away with the picture as Costner's father. He still has that screen presence and charisma that have kept him a star for over 35 years. Robbie Coltrane also contributes a nice but brief appearance as Theresa's boss.The ending is a bit unexpected, but all in all, Message in a Bottle provides for an enjoyable evening's entertainment.

Great movie.....

I would highly suggest this movie to anyone, especially those that are true Nicholas Sparks fans. This movie contains everything from romance to heartache and regret. Paul Newman plays a great role, as does Robin Wright Penn and Kevin Costner. It teaches us how truly fragile life can be and how we should savor every moment as if it is our last. One of my favorite movies of all time!

When is it going to end?

Boy, was I disappointed with this one! It was probably the worst film I've seen since "A River Runs Through It" which would be the kindling for my bonfire of terrible films. This is a movie about a man who is obsessed with his deceased wife. That's it. That's the whole 2.5 hours. It is the second most agonizingly long, boring movie that I've wasted my money on (The aforementioned movie is still #1). The plot was awful, the acting was even worse. I think Kevin and Paul should be ashamed they made this horrible picture and the writer should be banned from ever writing another script. The cinematography was about the only redeemable facet of the movie. I actually applauded at the end because I was so happy it was finally over. Save your money on this one and rent any other Costner or Newman film, you'll thank me. Really you will.

Movie delivers message, not only in a bottle

I found this movie very moving - I fell for the actors the minute they appeared on screen, and was touched by the poignant conclusion. This film delivers a message, not just only in a bottle, that reminds us all of our own mortality and the risks required to attain the things we most need, especially love.We all long for this certain type of adventure- a quest for a true love, not so easily attainable. A good heart and a twist of fate can change our lives in a matter of seconds. Once this sort of love is acquired, it will never be forgotten.This film reminds us what it is like to take a chance and to make something good come of an uncertainty.

Five Hanky Movie

Back in the old days of the studio system, the studio bosses had a rating for what were called "women's films": the hanky system, going from one hanky for a mildly sad film to five hanky for a real tear-jerker. Well this movie is definitely of the five hanky variety.Kevin Costner, who co-produced, appears to be staking out the 30 to 50 year old, single mom demographic. In recent years he seems to make only this kind of film. Whatever happened to the actor who was great in "Bull Durham", or "Under Cover"? Now all his movies are either epic disasters (in every sense of that term) like "Waterworld" and "The Postman", or maudlin hanky movies. IMO, now that he's become a sure box-office seller he's begun to take on only safer roles. And answer me this Mr. Costner: how can a character who was born and raised in the outer banks of Carolina, who's never lived anywhere else, not speak with a southern accent? I guess the same way that Robin Hood could speak without an English accent.The storyline is basically this: Boy and girl meet by some coincidence; despite having absolutely nothing in common boy and girl fall in love; boy and girl can't seem to resolve their circumstances to continue with a real life relationship; either boy or girl dies or leaves. This storyline must be as old as humanity itself. Cavemen were probably telling this same story. When done very well it can indeed illuminate for us the nature of love (notice both "Shakespeare in Love" and its predecessor "Romeo and Juliet"), but when done poorly it appears trite and phoney, like something specifically geared to getting an emotional reaction.In this version, Theresa (half-heartedly played by Robin Wright Penn) finds a fabulously romantic message in a bottle one morning when jogging along the beach. Being an ace Chicago newspaper researcher, she tracks down the author, who happens to be studly Garret (Costner) in a small beach town in Carolina. The above story then ensues with a few variations.Some people are upset at the ending, claiming it is too sad. Other's say that this is reality. Well, reality is that when a woman from Chicago falls in love with a man from Carolina, one of them usually moves to the other's location and learns to adapt.
Incidentally, my date observed that the movie ending is different, more heroic, than the book ending. I believe after hearing the book ending, that would've made more sense.

Disappointing Return to a 60's Style of Unhappy Endings

This film had all the "romance" that trailers suggested it would have - and that is why I was attracted to it. Some suggest that it is a movie of healing. Well - wonderful, but not why I went to see it.As soon as I knew he was a boat builder, I knew he would sail to Chicago and "they would live happily for a while - life T.B.D. (to be determined). Nothing certain beyond death and taxes.My criticism - that the romance could not blossom; I detest that movie style that says "reality to be inserted here". Life has tragedy but it is not ALL TRAGIC. And this film script design somehow returns me to a 60's twisted logic when everything good and gracious either died, burned, crashed or fell off the end of the world. Enough please. If I wanted real tragedy, I go see Shakespeare's works....that is enough for anyone.My criticism - If Hollywood is going to wring the trough of our emotions, they owe it to the viewing public to finish the film with uplifting joy; not crashing the viewer into a greater pathos to satisfy some twisted writer/director/actor ego.

Worth a Look

This movie was a bit formulaic and melodramatic at points, but overall works pretty well. Direction, casting, and cinematography are all quite adept. The screenplay, though somewhat shallow, is genuine and sweet, and the film builds some artful and richly textured scenes around it. Paul Newman is charming as always; he and Kevin Costner make a surprisingly effective father/son team. Some great ocean scenery too.

Inspired in one of the finest romantic novels... which works and doesn't work out at the same time

"Message in a Bottle" is one of the most beautiful and intense romantic novels ever written. It is a favorite of mine, not only for a Nicholas Sparks's book, but also for the genre itself. "Message in a Bottle" is a wonderful book, together with "The Notebook" (another brilliant romance).Of course that, as an assumed fan of the book, I had to write something about this movie and that is precisely what I'm gonna do now.This is one of those cases which the movie isn't as good as the novel. I used to like this movie better than nowadays, perhaps because I knew it before the novel. However, after reading the novel, my point of view about this movie began to change a bit.The movie is not bad. Far from that. What happens is that the movie is clearly more incomplete comparing with the book and that's exactly here where the movie fails. I'm not the kind of person to list the differences between a movie and a book one by one, so all I can say is that the movie is romantic, emotional and dramatic, while the book is not only much more complete but also more intense, more beautiful, more enchanting, more romantic, more emotional and more dramatic. Perhaps that's why this movie is so dramatically underrated. I can sort of understand why people in general don't like the movie as much as the book, but many people also talk about this as if it was terrible, which is so not true.If the movie isn't as excellent as the book, on the other hand the movie has its good side too. For example, it shows us some beautiful landscapes, wonders of nature and details, such as sunrises, sunsets, seas, lakes, wind, beaches, green places, sailing boats, etc...About the actors, Robin Wright Penn was very good looking in this movie as Theresa Osborne. Kevin Costner has one of his best performances and roles here as Garret Blake. Paul Newman, on the other hand, plays Dodge (the same name of a car's make), Garret's father, a serious but simultaneously funny guy with a very particular sense of humor. This is Paul Newman's best role after the voice of Doc Hudson in Disney/Pixar animated movie "Cars".

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

I found this movie absolutely fascinating;the story was a typical romance. It explored the human emotion and curiosity that we all feel when we find an insight into another person's relationship. Kevin Costner was your typical man of the sea and portrayed a man not ready to move on with his life after the tragic loss of his partner. It took someone like Robyn Penn Wright to stir the deeply hidden emotions but even then she could not compare to his lost love. She gave him inspiration and made him dig deep to find his true self. Paul Newman was superb as the crusty kindly father and without his inclusion in the film, be it as a supporting role, a lot of the emotion would have been lost. The pain suffered by the inlaws at the loss of their daughter was so true to life when someone they love dies so tragically. All in all the scenery was superb and the DVD is recommended

Costner plays stoic quite recluse, a real stretch

Yes it is the same role as the Mariner, the Postman, Wyatt Earp, A Perfect World and others Costner has played. The good news is it works here too. This is an endearing story of a woman (Robyn Wright Penn) who discovers a message in a bottle. It is a goodbye letter to Costner's wife after she has died. She is instantly attracted to the poet author of the note, and seeks him out. He turns out to be a ship builder who lives alone except for visits from his father, another powerful performance from Paul Newman. This is a fairy tale like story, but with a darkly ironic ending which turned me off. Of course it's not the first love story to end in such a way, but then I never like it when it does.

A well done, well acted romance

I would recommend this movie to everyone, but only with the added warning, do not expect a happy ending. The acting is wonderful, the cinematography excellent.This film shows a real romance, with very well-defined characters. The three leads all did a very good job. I was especially impressed by Robin Wright Penn and of course, Mr. Newman. Costner's performance was also excellent, but no more than I expected. He's played the same type of character before.I went in expecting a happy ending, but afterwards, I saw the ending as fitting the overall story. I'd still rather have had the two live happily ever after.

What a disappointment!

I sat STUNNED in my seat expecting a miracle at the end of this movie! How could they take something so wonderfully beautiful and massacre it? And of all weekends, Valentines! Word to writers of the the '90s - shock value is overrated!!

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOVED & LOSTED - A MUST SEE!!!

This movie shows you what True Love should be - honest & true. Makes you hopeful at finding a love so wonderful.

Excellent Film

I thought that 'Message in a Bottle' was a great movie, definitely one of Kevin Costner's better films in recent years. Unlike the last reviewer, I did not feel that the movie was too long, although I saw it on television and it may have been cut considerably. Robin Wright Penn and Paul Newman also put in excellent performances and follow a great plot by Nicholas Sparks. It is quite an emotional film about losing and finding love; a real tearjerker. The beauty of the North Carolina location adds to the background of the movie and heightens the depth of emotion expressed by the actors. The film is reminiscent of 'A Walk to Remember (also a Nicholas Sparks novel turned film) and will probably be enjoyed by the same audience.

Sad movie

Ok, the girl in this movie is basically a stalker and has no life at all since she goes after some guy that writes love letters to another woman. My biggest problem with this movie is that the two are attempting a long distance relationship and obviously those don't ever work out, especially when one person is cheating on the other person and lies to them the whole time. Furthermore, it is unrealistic that she would even find this man and (watch out) I'm glad that it ended the way it did because at least she can go to bed at night and know that he did actually love her and that he wasn't using her like so many people that I know.