Big Miracle (Rated PG)
- Starring Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Ted Danson
- Directed by Ken Kwapis
- Plot: A film covering the events surrounding a whale rescue in Barrow, Alaska.
The year is 1988. Ronald Reagan is preparing to leave office as his VP George H. W. Bush runs for election against Michael Dukakis. Mikhail Gorbachev is leading the Soviet Union. The Berlin Wall is still standing. A Pan Am flight is destroyed over Lockerbie, Scotland. Iran-Contra. Drought in the North America.
Amidst all of this turmoil, the world's eyes turned to the rescue of three gray whales trapped in the ice outside Point Barrow, Alaska and the Herculean effort to rescue them. Based on the actual events and the 1989 book Freeing the Whale by Tom Rose, Big Miracle gathers together a talented cast to recreate this touching story.
John Krasinski (The Office) plays a reporter out of Anchorage doing a series of puff pieces on life in Barrow, Alaska, when he discovers three gray whales trapped in the ice about five miles from open water. His ex-girlfriend, a Greenpeace volunteer (played by Drew Barrymore) gets involved as does oil executive J.W. McGraw (Ted Danson) and the local Inuit tribe, in an effort to free the whales from the ice. The efforts turn into a world-wide affair and a sign of events to come as the Soviet Union is called and the two countries work together to release the whales from their icy prison.
While the movie itself plays loosely with the events and rescue, it is an inspiring story of man working to overcome nature and about the indomitable human spirit. The movie is at its best during the scenes with the whales and the rescue attempts, but it falters on the human side as it attempts to flesh out the story with relationship dramas. There are simply too many characters to ever really feel a connection, and the film comes ultimately comes across more as a docudrama than a solid film. The movie is interspersed with actual newscasts from the events. While I appreciate what the filmmakers were trying to do, I felt it gave the movie a disjointed feel, and they took away from the drama.
Despite those misgivings, the film has a wonderful story, and it is a solid family film that all can enjoy. If you have sensitive younger children, you might want to leave them at home as there are some scenes that might upset them. Remember this is based on actual events, and nature can be cruel.
Stay through the credits as the film ends with scenes from the actual events as they occurred.
Big Miracle is rated PG for some mild language.
If you would like to see Big Miracle, it has not opened in Ames yet. If you would like to see the film, it is playing in nearby theaters in Ankeny and Des Moines. Check out Fandango for theaters and showtimes.
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