Universal Pictures, Anonymous Content, Working Title Films,
Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Vinessa Shaw, Stephen Root, Ted Danson, Dermot Mulroney, Rob Riggle, Michael Gaston, Tim Blake Nelson
Adam Carlson (John Krasinski)is a reporter who is stationed at the northernmost point in the US, at Point Barrow, Alaska wrapping up his filler pieces for the season and heading back to Anchorage. His dream is to get to somewhere in the lower 48. On the last day he heads out to shoot some footage and runs across a family of gray whales trapped in a tiny hole in the ice. If the hole fills in, they drown, but if they try to swim for it, it’s way to far to make it and they have no chance. Adam’s ex is Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) who’s a Greenpeace member and sets out to save the whales. Meanwhile J. W. McGraw (Ted Danson) is the head of a large oil company who is looking to grab all the oil rights in the area and has the exact tool, a large barge for ice breaking, which may save the whales. That is a huge PR win for his company. But attempting to save the whales is much more complicated than anyone can imagine.
This is a somewhat biased film to the extent that government is bad, businesses are bad, Alaskan native tribes are bad, but Greenpeace is good. That’s really all that keeps me from giving this a 5.0. Also, if there’s a weak link, I’m sorry to say, it must be Drew. She comes off as really whiny in this film. Not that the greenpeace folk aren’t whiny. But this doesn’t really put her in a good light, I’m afraid. Now John Krasinski did a really good job here. He’s put aside the cynical wise guy from Dunder-Mifflin and really did a good job here showing us his talent. The story is really touching and is quite hearwarming. There’s a lot of suspense, and it’s a long shot. This is based on a true story, but should not be treated as a documentary. It’s got a lot of “poetic license” and many people have criticized it for the changes to the actual events. But don’t look at this as a documentary. Look at it as a delightful family film about a bunch of nice people trying to save some doomed whales.
The look and feel of the coldest parts of the world above the arctic circle is awesome. This is wonderful to watch in the middle of July when it’s nearly 100 degrees outside. It helps the air conditioner a lot! It’s a beautiful film. I really enjoyed this film very much. I wish I had seen it in the theater, but I’m glad I finally got a chance to catch up with this movie. I highly recommend this film, It’s a winner. Be sure to gather the family together and watch this!
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
