Big Miracle
A family of three gray whales trapped beneath the ice in Alaska becomes international news in this rescue adventure, starring Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski and Ted Danson. Based on the Tom Rose novel Freeing the Whales, itself inspired by 1988's Operation Breakthrough.
Reporter Adam (Krasinski) is about to be unwillingly reassigned out of Alaska when three gray whales surface in an ice hole. Covering the story gives him an excuse to stay but when it becomes apparent the whales are trapped, his puff piece becomes big news. Spearheading the rescue effort is Greenpeacer Rachel (Barrymore) who has to first battle and then unite international governments, oil tycoons and Inuit locals to save the three trapped whales.
- Director:
- Ken Kwapis ('He's Just Not That Into You', 'License to Wed', 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants')
- Writer:
- Jack AmielMichael Begler
- Cast:
- Drew BarrymoreKristen BellJohn KrasinskiTed DansonDermot MulroneyTim Blake NelsonStephen RootVinessa ShawMichael GastonJames LeGrosMegan Angela SmithJohn Pingayak
Reviews & comments
Barrymore saves the whales
I wasn't expecting too much from this movie. Thought it was going to be a bad doco of the original happening. I never heard a thing about it at the time. I guess it was before the internet became all prevalent and our wold was so much bigger. Turns out it was a reasonably well done movie. Krasinski makes for an appealing reporter buried in Alaska...
Village Voice
pressWhile rooting for the marine mammals (and wishing for more footage of them-and even of their animatronic incarnations), your heart will also go out to the cast, stuck even more pitiably in syrupy manufactured crises.
USA Today
pressGiven the abundance of one-dimensional human portrayals, it becomes apparent that a documentary on the subject might have been more powerful.
Time Magazine
pressThere may not be a second of say, Whale Rider's lyricism (that's still the best whale movie out there), but this energetic family movie is less insipid than it looks.
The New York Times
pressBig Miracle gets off to a shaky start, but once revved up, it becomes an involving work-against-the-clock-and-the-odds action movie.
The Guardian
pressThe makers attempt to coat their fascinatingly bitter pill with saccharine. They are, however, only partially successful.
Entertainment Weekly
pressBig Miracle is harmless enough, but what's annoying about it is its aura of fake activism.
Empire Magazine
pressThe sledgehammer emoting should let you know you're in a family drama.
E! Online
pressWhale fans will blubber, but uneven Miracle flounders in its hunt for narrative focus.
A.V. Club
pressUnder its crowd-pleasing exterior lies an undercurrent of bracing cynicism.
Village Voice
pressWhile rooting for the marine mammals (and wishing for more footage of them-and even of their animatronic incarnations), your heart will also go out to the cast, stuck even more pitiably in syrupy manufactured crises.
USA Today
pressGiven the abundance of one-dimensional human portrayals, it becomes apparent that a documentary on the subject might have been more powerful.
Time Magazine
pressThere may not be a second of say, Whale Rider's lyricism (that's still the best whale movie out there), but this energetic family movie is less insipid than it looks.
The New York Times
pressBig Miracle gets off to a shaky start, but once revved up, it becomes an involving work-against-the-clock-and-the-odds action movie.
The Guardian
pressThe makers attempt to coat their fascinatingly bitter pill with saccharine. They are, however, only partially successful.
Entertainment Weekly
pressBig Miracle is harmless enough, but what's annoying about it is its aura of fake activism.
Empire Magazine
pressThe sledgehammer emoting should let you know you're in a family drama.
E! Online
pressWhale fans will blubber, but uneven Miracle flounders in its hunt for narrative focus.
A.V. Club
pressUnder its crowd-pleasing exterior lies an undercurrent of bracing cynicism.
Barrymore saves the whales
I wasn't expecting too much from this movie. Thought it was going to be a bad doco of the original happening. I never heard a thing about it at the time. I guess it was before the internet became all prevalent and our wold was so much bigger. Turns out it was a reasonably well done movie. Krasinski makes for an appealing reporter buried in Alaska...
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