The Shipping News Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Dive Beneath The Surface
You'll never guess what you'll find inside...
An inksetter in New York, Quoyle returns to his family's longtime home, a small fishing town in Newfoundland, with his young daughter, after a traumatizing experience with her mother, Petal, who sold her to an illegal adoption agency. Though Quoyle has had little success thus far in life, his shipping news column in the newspaper "The Gammy Bird" finds an audience, and his experiences in the town change his life. Then he meets the widow Wavey...
| Kevin Spacey | Quoyle |
| Julianne Moore | Wavey Prowse |
| Judi Dench | Agnis Hamm |
| Cate Blanchett | Petal |
| Pete Postlethwaite | Tert Card |
| Scott Glenn | Jack Buggit |
| Rhys Ifans | Beaufield Nutbeem |
| Gordon Pinsent | Billy Pretty |
| Jason Behr | Dennis Buggit |
| Larry Pine | Bayonet Melville |
| Jeanetta Arnette | Silver Melville |
| Robert Joy | EMS Officer |
| Lauren Gainer | Bunny Quoyle |
| Lasse Hallström |
6.70 out of 10 (11409 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Flatlanders
posted on 24 Aug 2009Spoilers herein.I am so disappointed.I thought the book was too blunt in its use of the language, but I did appreciate the clever construction. It is a story with great exaggeration, which contains a writer who must use great exaggeration in his stories. Much of the exposition explains why, and draws the reader into the space between the cartoon that is the book and the cartoon that is the newscolumn without us noticing that we are goofing on ourselves.The template for the mechanism is the first such superreal novel: `Cannery Row.' This is copied even down to the destructive party. Except here, the humor was from a different locale, superficially a minor transposition. But there was even self-reference in that treatment of the locale: studied treatment on the immoveability of place: including deep use of local language, the business of the restrained house, and the extended metaphor of the oil tankersSo when I heard of the cast, I had great hopes. Cate and Julianne are the two living actresses capable of projecting just this kind of self-reference.But what a mess Hallstrom has made! This is the `Harry Potter' school of filmmaking where a book is reduced to the episodes therein and they are marched before us without any sense of the world from which they project. A collection of thin banalities and cute platitudes are substituted, as with his last film.In fact, not a shred of originality or art is allowed to creep in, from the `Prince of Tides' first shot to the obligatory and ordinary helicopter ending. All of the self-reference is lost, except the thin device of Spacey giving some headlines to his life. Nearly all the local peculiarities have been ironed out, even the accents. We are left with a few rugged crags instead. As an example, consider the moving house. I have recently seen three other films with moving buildings, the remarkable `Oscar and Lucinda' (where Cate was allowed to do her rare stuff), `The Widow of St Pierre,' which wasn't novel but lovely, and the underrated `The Claim.' In each case, the filmmaker stretched for visual effect. Lasse is tired, derivative, unartful.This man really is a menace. His license to make films should be revoked.
Man with abundant supply of material for nightmares
posted on 24 Aug 2009SpoilersLet me get this out of the way first: Forget the book. All comments made herein are with reference to the movie.I could have seen Shipping News during Christmas holidays in Toronto in 2001, but somehow managed to miss it. I don't believe this movie ever came to town. It became a rather exciting event when the good wife spotted a HK$20 DVD over the weekend at HMV (and therefore definitely NOT a pirated version). SN, I found, is a movie that I can watch with considerable detachment. Bizarre might have been too strong a word, but slightly out-of-the-ordinary treatment of some not-so-uncommon situations is just enough to stay audiences from empathising too closely and yet keep them intrigued. Example? A 12-year old girl raped by her older brother comes back after 50/60 years to steal his cremated remains to have the satisfaction of being able to urinate on them.The characters in this movie remind me of Dicken's trademark caricatures, characters purposefully steered away from being multi-dimensional so as to draw out their unique eccentricities. We can almost see Quoyle as a Pip of sorts wading through his own array of versions, benevolent or otherwise, of Miss Havisham, Mr. Jaggers, Mr. Wemmick, Uncle Pumblechook etc. etc.Also seen as one of the characters is the old family house, perched on a rocky precipice on the rugged coasts of Newfoundland. Houses playing an important part in a movie that come immediately to mind are the one constructed in Life as a House (2001) and the quaint little flat in the Korean gem Siworae (or Il Mare, 2000). Neither however features as prominently as the one in NS, heavy symbolism of the bloody history of the Quoyles. While we are on the Quoyle pirates, I note with particular interest that the manoeuvre of moving a lighthouse from one cliff to another to trick ships into smashing against the rocks has been used before, in a very watchable Japanese samurai/mystery Goyokin (Official Gold, 1969).Hauntingly beautiful Newfoundland, beautifully shot, is one main attraction of SN. As one with the fortunate experience of walking outdoors (albeit very briefly) at forty degrees below (at which point Fahrenheit and Centigrade happen to converge) in a mining town, I found the scene of the biting snow enjoyable but not particularly stunning. The beauty of the ocean is also not unknown. However, putting these elements together does work wonders for SN.Finally, journeying with Quoyle along his various nightmares does have great rewards, not only in the magnificent acting of Spacey himself, but also the rest of the excellent cast: Moore, Blanchett, Dench, Postelthwaite, Glenn, Ifans….and, last but not least, the triplet Gainer sisters.
A thought-provoking film
posted on 20 Aug 2009The Shipping News is a funny, sad, happy film about getting over loss and finding your place in the world. I appreciated that the film was not just heavy and deep, but had its humorous, light-hearted moments. It's certainly not the film for you if you're after something action-packed, but if you sometimes feel a little lost, it will make you feel better. The film is very human and realistic, and it might even make you want to visit Newfoundland.
what was the point of this
posted on 12 Aug 2009Not to much happens in this movie. I guess that is why no one went to see it at the theaters. I really can't tell you what it was about except for some loser who ends up going back home to where his relatives are from. There he gets a job as a reporter and along the way learns there were some bad apples in the family. And there are other little things thrown in (headless corpse, near drowning, a dead man waking up at his own wake). What for? I have no idea except to stretch out its running time.FINAL VERDICT: Slow pace, boring. Not worth watching. Not to mention Julianne Moore uses what sounds like an Irish accent, but I don't know why because they aren't in Ireland.
Inspiring
posted on 02 Aug 2009I really liked this movie. I enjoyed the imagery of the metaphorically drowning man - how often does one feel literally 'out of your depth' - and the pace at which the film moved was well edited and directed. As the stories of Quoyle's disparate family are slowly revealed to him he, at the same time, begins to feel a sense of identity so long denied him. You take this journey into his life and himself with him, experiencing it as he does and from that you gain a real sense of Quoyle's expansion into his potential as a human being.Not many movies actually grab my attention the way books do, but this one did. Up there on the inspiration shelf with 'Magnolia' and 'American Beauty' for me.
Disturbing drama
posted on 02 Aug 2009This film has some of the more tragically disturbed characters I have ever seen grace (if that's the word) the silver screen in recent years. Unlike the bulk of Hollywood films that are either uplifting or deal with glamorous personages, this film deals with people who haven't found the good life and are emotionally damaged. Kudos to a truly all-star cast for bringing this difficult material to life. While the acting is first rate and the drama is intriguing, I think most people will be too timid to face this material. Still if you are looking for a change of pace from the standard Hollywood fare, this drama might be worthwhile. I think it was directed by the same man who made the wonderful Cider House Rules. 7/10.
Comes close to depicting life in outport Newfoundland!
posted on 23 Jun 2009I just returned from watching "the Shipping News," discovered your web site, and felt compelled to offer a few comments, not so much from the perspectives typical of movie reviewers, but from the perspective of one who is from the area in which the movie is set (Newfoundland) and who possesses some knowledge of its people, culture and history. Certainly, if the creators are to be judged based on their integrity in depicting the movie's setting and people then "the Shipping News" rates quite highly.The movie get full marks for capturing much of that which makes coastal Newfoundland unique: the variable nature of the weather (yes, we get snow in May); the unique Newfoundland accent, masterfully captured by Judi Dench (Agnes), and the employees of "The Gammy Bird" (at least by those who are supposed to be from Newfoundland); unique dishes such as seal flipper pie (its an acquired taste); our unique brews; the rugged coast dotted by random collections of salt box houses; the importance of the small boat fishery; the preponderance of eccentric characters; and the sense of family and community ties. The movie also captures the sense of decay that is sadly more and more typical of many coastal communities. With the collapse of the ground fishery entire regions of coastal Newfoundland, once dotted by thriving outports, have been virtually abandoned.Somewhat disappointing is the fact that the movie does not capture the contrast between life in Killick Claw (Trinity Blight) - the setting for much of the movie - and in other parts of Newfoundland. The book on which the movie is based affords the potential for such contrast but the relevant sections have not been brought to screen. The rural way of life certainly exists side by side with practically all aspects modern society. Failing to place Killick Claw in contrast to its larger community, notably the capital of the province (as the book does), diminishes an important aspect of the novel - the image of a community that is largely stuck in time.The movie also falls short in neglecting to capture the sense of bitterness - as the book does - that many Newfoundlanders feel toward central Canada and the federal government which are seen as "looking the other way" while the seas were raped of the fish that sustained life in coastal areas for centuries. However, the creators can be forgiven if the movie falls short of a political commentary. As the story of a man who finds redemption and meaning in the far away place of his forefathers, it is captivating.Many in Newfoundland will probably be sensitive to some of the more controversial aspects of the movie: the incest, rape, murder, adultery and so on that depict Quole's family past and feel that the movie depicts Newfoundlanders in a negative light. Certainly Newfoundland has its share of crime, notably family crime. However, such are all too common aspects of the human condition and to suggest that they do not exist in Newfoundland is to ignore our human nature.Overall, I was struck by how well the movie's creators have managed to capture much of the flavour of rural Newfoundland, even if in doing so they glossed over serveral aspects of the novel.
An honest portrayal of life on "the Rock", though a little shortsighted
posted on 19 Jun 2009Being a resident of Newfoundland all my life, it was a great thrill to finally see my homeland portrayed so vividly on screen. Though born and raised in the capital city (St. John's), my mother hails from Long Harbour, Placentia bay, a small outport community very much like that represented by 'Killet claw', and much of the imagery in the film hit very close to home for me, but in a very good way. seeing the salt box houses, and sea stages, the old winter coats and knitted caps and sweaters, visually, this film is perfect. In terms of acting, Judi Dench is flawless, Julianne moore is perfect, the men of the Gammy Bird all elegantly cast, and Kevin Spacy was simply remarkable to watch, he was neither mainlander nor "Typical" Newfoundlander, very low key, very simple to understand, a very human character, something i'm not used to from Spacey.Story wise, the film is more of a "slice-of-life" piece than the book, not so much emphasis is placed on individual events, but rather the experience as a whole. If you aren't the sort of person who can merely sit and "soak in" what's happening, than you will not get this film. Also the climax and resolution are very low key moments, which may leave some scratching their heads.My strong liking for this film probably stems from the small piece of identity i share with the characters, Newfoundland is not simply the backdrop or the setting, those farmiliar with our culture and heritage will see that We, culturally, are as much a character in the film as Quoyle or Weavy or Agnes. There are moments however where the film misses the mark, or does things that I, as a Newfoundlander, can instantly identify with, and yet, (judging from other comments on this site) other people will immediately dismiss or simply not understand. Quoyle immediately getting a job as a reporter with only an ink-setter's background, the almost cartoon-ish portrayal of the folk when it comes to boats and the water, the thick accents, and even the no-holds barred nature of the festivities shown in the film. These are all examples. Newfoundlanders are a connundrum, we are simple, yet more complex than many, we are friendly and hospitable to a fault, yet our feathers ruffle easily and more often than not, especially where males are concerned, violence and long standing fueds are not uncommon. These elements of our society may be mis-understood by the vast majority of people, and to be honest, the only way to understand is to live here. But where the movie misses, is it's primitive portrayal of the above. We are not primitive, we are not savages (or most of us aren't), and we are most certainly not so malicious as some of the characters were portrayed. The movie tends to emphasize our qualities a little, and it really focuses on extremes rather than showing the bigger picture, it Makes Spacey's Quoyle look like an outsider, when he's actually the closest to the mark of the whole bunch.Rest assured at any rate, from a Newfoundlander's perspective, this film paints an accurate picture of island life in the outskirts, even if it isn't what one could call a "typical" Newfoundland story (the upcoming Lion's Gate film "Rare Birds" starring William Hurt looks more like a typical Newfoundland tale of quirkiness)and i for one would love to see the film industry return to our little corner of North America (far EAST, not north!)and leave with a bigger slice of our cultural pie.
"The Life and Death of a Nymphomaniac"
posted on 13 Jun 2009NB. SPOILER COMING UP ! Was it Hemingway who coined the phrase "Telling it like it is"? I can't remember. It doesn't matter as Hemingway is not writing this review and I'm telling it like it isn't! The theme of the film is as old as life itself - the perennial 'boy meets girl'. The problem I have with "The Shipping News" is that while concerning itself almost entirely with how their relationship develops after they meet, it tells the boy's story before they meet in summary only while virtually ignoring that of the girl. The film is therefore unbalanced. Perhaps the novel suffers from this defect as well or was 111 minutes not long enough to do it justice? If the book does tell her story then a more satisfactory treatment would have been a trilogy, much favoured by French filmmakers, telling their two separate lives in PART I and PART II, with PART III recounting their lives after they meet.I was drawn to this film solely because I had been impressed by "The Cider House Rules", which had also been directed by Lasse Hallström, but was disappointed to find that it did not come up to expectations. It had atmosphere and good photography but mostly failed. In particular the first half-hour was absolute trash. It was almost like fast-forwarding through a newsreel: boy (Quoyle - KEVIN SPACEY) meets nympho (aka Petal – CATE BLANCHETT), nympho promptly seduces boy, baby arrives, nympho has a series of lovers, nympho gives up baby for adoption, nympho gets killed with latest lover in car crash, boy gets baby back. The only redeeming feature seems to be a view of Cate Blanchett's seductive posterior.END OF PART I PART II MissingPART III Then JUDI DENCH as Aunt Agnis Hamm arrives on the scene and the film takes off. Judi holds the film together, without her it would not be worth watching. As the action proper begins here the film could easily start at this stage and would have worked better within its own confines with the initial part as a series of flashbacks. The real story is set on the Newfoundland coast where the location shots were made. The Canadian Maritime Province comes over as a cold, harsh, bleak and uninviting place; but this is snowy wintertime, perhaps it is much pleasanter in the sunny summer; anyway I wouldn't mind holidaying there for their fine lobster salads! Aunt Agnis drags Quoyle back to his birthplace in Newfoundland where he gets a job writing the "Shipping News" column for the local newspaper. I felt that the best scenes in the film were those featuring the newspaper offices where Quoyle is taught to think in terms of headlines. But unknown to Quoyle has family has a past as they were "wreckers" luring unsuspecting cargo ships onto the rocks. This is direct plagiarism from Daphne duMaurier's well-known novel "Jamaica Inn". As for the plot, most of it is preposterous but like all fairy stories, in the end everyone lives happily ever after.
Cold and miserable as the location it is set in.
posted on 05 Jun 2009SPOILER I saw this movie on DVD. I have not read the novel. The movie left me as cold as the location it is set in. With such dark, depressing subject matter it is vital to have characters one can to relate to or feel something for - be it sympathy, sorrow, anger. There is not one character who grabbed my attention, aroused any emotion whatsoever or was developed so I cared what happened to them. The plot twists and turns and situations pop up for no apparent reason and go nowhere. Nothing is really resolved and the movie just ends.Kevin Spacey as Quoyle underplays the part to the point of infuriation. By the end I was wishing his father had succeeded in drowning him. Cate Blanchett does a fine turn as the piece of trash Quoyle gets involved with. Julianne Moore is adequate and Judi Dench is, well - Judi Dench.The resurrection at the wake scene is ludicrous. We are expected to believe that if you have the misfortune to `drown' in Newfoundland that no check is made that your life is extinct and that your body hasn't been `slowed down' by the cold water. You are dressed in your Sunday best and put in a coffin - no medical examiner, coroner, autopsy, embalming or any other preparation of the body for viewing is necessary. The people are portrayed as behind the time, drooling inbreeds, eating seal-flipper pie, committing incest and having very few of the modern conveniences of life. The family home has been deserted for many years, but the family just move right in and within seconds it is all nice and cosy. I rate this 3/10. It is truly dire.
Disappointed
posted on 03 Jun 2009I am a movie goer who likes to be entertained and this movie is far from being entertaining. I can only sum it up by a scene near the end of the film where the daughter says to her dad, "I'm boring". At that point several people seated around me including myself said, "She should be watching this movie". Excellent scenery though.
Why do I crave seal flipper pie?
posted on 10 May 2009Opening to disappointing reviews, Ann Proulx's award-winning book has been transformed to the big screen in all its bleakness. Nature is unforgiving as are most of the characters portrayed here. As if we need to be reminded of our complete lack of power over the forces of time and nature; particularly in these grey days of the new year.
Dame Judith Dench, Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore as well as lesser luminaries such as Scott Glenn make up this dramatic cluster of award-winning performers. Add brilliant cinematography and an amazing script and we're forced to ask: What went wrong? Some of the difficulty with this film may be tied up in professional pride. How can a techie without any credentials walk into a newspaper office get hired for a reporter's job that he didn't want and successfully produce articles over the objections of his editor? This piece reminds me of a Forest Gump without the innocent charm.
… learns his trade the hard way after writing a short story when a news piece is needed and having your associates bail you out. Human interest, after all, is what's missing in this rag – as well as the town – before … introduces it in his innocent manner. And the importance of developing a headline to grab attention is the other cute literary device to add levity to this dreary environ. There are ghosts in this old homestead and skeletons in the closet. … returns to find that leaving your past behind is very difficult when you return to your roots. The baggage he carries with him affects his posture and expression and refuses to let go until the forces of nature blasts through the tentative bindings, which serve as temporary anchors. How about that for deathless prose?In comparison to most of the characters portrayed, Spacey was a charmer surrounded by the nastiest schnooks you'd ever want to meet. Are we to conclude that this bleak environment engenders a hopelessness and thus unforgiving behavior to their neighbors? It does instruct us that `…we face up to things…' and this movie must face the facts: nobody likes seal flipper pie.
Interesting but Lacking
posted on 04 May 2009This is certainly an interesting film. The plusses of it are the fascinating Newfoundland landscape and the good effort of Julianne Moore to emulate a Newfie accent. Unfortunately, the dark, depressing element of the film is not balanced by characters that you care about or are explored in any thoughtful way. The film seems to fail in what it tries to accomplish: to paint an interesting character study of an unusual man. It's unclear what drives the characters, and really hard to care anyway. Not recommended, but I'm giving it a generous 5/10 for effort and cinematography.
This is an upbeat movie about human resilience and hope.
posted on 16 Apr 2009Some reviewers were not too enthusiastic about this movie inspite of the presence of Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore & Scott Glenn, whose combined works always deserve a closer look. I liked it.Kevin Spacey's character was given a disadvantage early on. As the story unfolds, we meet other characters that are not extraordinary but provide necessary ingredients for the subtle substance of the story. Judi Dench, Scott Glenn, Julianne Moore and the rest of the ensemble perform appropriately tempered roles. Even the Newfoundland landscape did its thing.
superbly non-Hollywood
posted on 14 Apr 2009I was very impressed with The Shipping News for several reasons: the location should win an Oscar alone, Hallstrom's magical minimalist direction and the acting by the major leads and perhaps even more wonderful, by the many minor parts, were outstanding.The beauty of the story, involving as it does many all-to-familiar dramas that are easily recognized by people anywhere, was used as a springboard to explore a little known area of the world and to bring much needed illumination on rarely discussed social problems.To actually see such a beautiful movie shot on location in the magnificent surrounds of Newfoundland should lead film makers away from the sterility of southern California and the too-used streets of New York. I guess I've had my fill of movies about what Hollywood has been dishing out and I've gotten thoroughly jaded with virtually everything made by them.
Not too disappointing
posted on 21 Mar 2009It seems to be virtually impossible to make a great movie from a great book. The Shipping News (the novel) was perfect! It won the pulitzer prize for god's sake! So why does the screenwriter of The Shipping News (the movie) feel he needs to make changes? Small details were changed, and it is annoying for those moviegoers who read the book.For those who have read the book, and were not satisfied with the movie, I have a recommendation. For your next car trip, or to listen to while you commute, visit your local library and borrow The Shipping News on tape. These are produced for visually impaired or blind "readers". It is abridged, but the flavour of the book is fully brought to life. It is read by Robert Joy, the actor who played the cop at the car accident that Quoyle covers for the paper. Robert Joy is a Newfoundlander, and should have won a special award for his vocal performances. It is well worth the effort!I give the movie 6 out of 10.
Huge names, phenomenal film--
posted on 11 Mar 2009I just saw this with my brother and sister-and-law last night--I was on the edge of my seat and loved the turns and twists (I'm a clinical psychologist). Anything with Judi is highly credible, of course--and Kevin is remarkable in each film he makes. The flashback scenes were oh-so-similar to my work situation (adults who believe they were abused as children). As the father of fraternal twins, it was quite easy to tell the difference among the triplets who played "Bunny." Next, my brother and sister-in-law get to see "Dancer in the Dark" with the ever-unpredictable Bjork.Best, Larry in Dallas.
a fantastic film
posted on 03 Mar 2009Having never read the novel, reading alot of the criticisms flung at this movie, after having first seen it, have been surprising. I left the theater completely wrung out emotionally, at what I thought was a mesmerizing and enchanting film. It took me a while to 'get back' to the real world (the mall) after words, i was transported.Seems like alot of critics dislike the film merely because the characters in it are all suffering from depression, that it's too dark and unrelenting. Well, like Fight Club and American beauty, this film is a beautifully compassionate look are human frailty.The only problem I had with it was the usual demonisation of men, but to balance that out, Cate Blanchett's bizarrely cast nutcase was at least as worrisome.
JASON BEHR WAS GREAT!
posted on 01 Mar 2009I found the movie to be very boring and way to serious. I thought that the plot was very dry, and seemed to be trying very hard to be a deep oscar winning type movie, and did not enjoy that. However, the acting was great. Specifically, I have to note the performance of Dennis. Although he was a little part, I found that he stole the scene whenever he was on. He was adorable and in most female viewers opinion's quite good looking. Let's be honest, the man was beautiful. But not only that, his acting was great, he mastered the accent and was just a joy to see on the screen. He made the experience great for me, so if you are going to see the movie, keep a look out for Jason Behr, who I believe is the star of the television show ROSWELL. I think it is on UPN on tuesdays at 9 and I am so watching it now cause of how great he was in the movie!
please don't watch this
posted on 28 Aug 2009This movie makes no sense. It's awful. Don't waste your time. I was expecting something half-way decent since Kevin Spacey and the others were in it but this movie was terrible. About 100 times I almost turned it off but I wanted it to get better and prove me wrong. It didn't.