Rating: 
Summary: Great book, great movie
Review: For the record, I read the book first and loved it: Annie Proulx's prose is scrappy and idiosyncratic, and her characters come across as actual people rather than plot devices. But I loved the movie, too, as a separate entity. Julianne Moore is exceptionally good in this film, which is saying something. Judi Dench (who, pace a previous reviewer, does NOT appear in 50% of all films - would that she did! - not that long ago, she appeared onstage in both London and New York in Amy's View) is the perfect embodiment of Aunt Agnis. Many reviewers objected to the briefness of Cate Blanchett's appearance: to me it was luxury casting. (Thank you, Ms. Blanchett, for taking a small but pivotal role in a beautiful and well-directed film.) One reviewer complained about the inconsistent Newfoundland accents; well, many of the characters left Newfoundland early and spent most of their lives in places like upstate New York, so it's only natural that their accents were affected (perhaps this film is TOO subtle for those over-scrupulous viewers). What a great pleasure it was to see Scott Glenn, Pete Postlethwaite, and Canada's own under-rated Gordon Pinsent shine in challenging roles.
Then there was Kevin Spacey, physically unlike Annie Proulx's hero. What a performance, though! I disliked Mr. Spacey's Oscar-winning turn in the over-rated American Beauty, but his work in this film was beautiful and sincere.
A lovely, deeply moving film version of a very memorable book.
(And, pace another reviewer, it's best to finish a book before you criticize it.)
Rating:
Summary: Very Enjoyable
Review: Let me say first that I have not read the book. I think it is a mistake to read a book first and then go see the Hollywood adaptation; there is just no way that the screen can capture in a couple of hours what it takes days to do in print.That being said, I really enjoyed this movie. It is certainly not perfect, but Kevin Spacey turns in a really strong performance. I didn't enjoy Judy Dench's performance as much as I usuaally do. The story is engrossing, and this is one of the few movies that I have seen multiple times; fact is, my wife and I watch it almost every month.
Rating: 
Summary: Never rises above "pleasant", but I guess that's okay
Review: There's enough here to make for a perfectly-watchable evening of home entertainment, as long as one doesn't expect too much. The story is extremely simple, but thankfully enlivened by good acting and occasional quirkiness on the part of the characters and situations (the kind of amusing quirkiness and humor we often see in this particular director's films). The scenery is quite nice, too, though undercut a bit by a surprisingly grainy and dull DVD transfer. The 25-minute or so "making of" documentary is extremely annoying, as 75% of it is basically just clips from the film (to me, that's taking the lazy route), with very little in the way of interviews and behind-the-scenes stuff. There's also a commentary, but I confess that the film didn't sufficiently interest me enough to watch it again with the commentary turned on. To conclude with some final thoughts about the movie itself, though I'll grant some points for subtlety, I still would have appreciated seeing more in the way of overt and dramatic examples of exactly how and why our main character stops being a doormat and reactor to the world around him and someone more in control and confident by film's end. I agree with another reviewer who said that the voice-over narration (especially at the end) comes off as a too-obvious attempt to provide thematic focus that is lacking in the film itself. So, in the end, the film is worth a look for the scenery, acting, and some amusing character and story bits, as well as some memorable imagery here and there (like the house being dragged across the ice), but you certainly won't kick yourself when it's over for not catching the movie in the theater.
Rating: 
Summary: The Shipping News
Review: The Shipping News really was a bad idea in every aspect- why take a great book and maul it? As an oscar-boat, the Shipping News isn't even very good. The emotional impact of the film is lost over and over through the confines of the horrible adaptation. Julianne Moore gives a watered down performance, Cate Blanchett is featured on the cover of the DVD but her role from book to movie has been sized down, and Judi Dench flat out doesn't really impress at all with her acting in this movie. Kevin Spacey acts relatively well, however, and thankfully unlike in his other movies; he feels and talks like a normal person. His character is anything but normal, however, a very big loser who marries a hooker for the brief afternoon of sex they experienced. Then, through a series of trials and bad scenes he and his daughter Bunny move to Newfoundland. It's a redemption movie. You know before it ends, what's going to happen. He's going to finally shift into his new life, and get inspiration. It's just ridden with cliches, and mesmerizing how it really never takes off. It also adds insult to injury by making every shot so generic that it feels like it was made for TV. If you're going to adapt a book to the screen, please add something new to the mix. The DVD- it is boring, boring, and longwinded. The film transfer can make you very, very, very angry. I don't know if it ever occured to Miramax that the film could be touched up, but apparently it didn't; because the film transfer is grainy. Actually- it's so grainy that the beautiful panning scenes of the rocky island is downtrodden and destroyed, and all they had to do was get a film software program and remove the noise. They put no effort into the DVD, so I won't put any effort into recommending it. The movie is an insult to the book, and is strictly textbook.
Rating: 
Summary: Stereotyping was never easier.....
Review: Perusing the reviews, I'm quite surprised that no one has actually submitted one from Newfoundland!
Newfoundlanders will never let you forget they're from the rock, that's for sure. Many would say that it's a unique culture but it also has variations - there are 'townies' and 'bay folk'. This movie clearly concentrates on the rural folk who traditionally made a living off the fisheries and secondary industries. It shows none of the sophistication of St John's (the Capitol).
The shipping news relentlessly reveals the secrets of a clearly dysfunctional family and damaged individuals. The movie would have you believe that everyone from the rock was a victim of poverty, violence and incest and mainly gutted fish for a living. This typesetting would hardly be allowed with any other group.
That said, I did enjoy the movie. All the characters were delightfully played and the plot moved along well.
My favourite line? "He took off with a floozie not out of high school and went to Winnipeg!" Great stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Loses mental and emotional impact from book to screen.
Review: Most of the reviews here were from people who did not read the book first. As is virtually always the case, important mental and emotional pieces of the story must be left behind due to the constraints of condensing the story into two hours on the screen. The viewer is not exposed to Bunny's clairvoyance or her little sister and where Petal was heading when she got killed, enough of the Aunt's character, the trip to town that Quoyle and Wavey take together which provides an indication of the their growing relationship, and any number of other details which would give greater insight into the characters. It would have been interesting to see the story of the Uncle and the dire straits in which he existed. We do miss a lot of the inner journey that Quoyle must take in order to become the character that he develops into. Even so, I enjoyed watching this movie several times over and all of the added features on the dvd. Watching the movie after reading the book, one can more fully appreciate the story and feel a much stronger sense of why the story was so well received when it came out in print.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful...
Review: Many messages, but the most important is LIFE GOES ON. Only fools live in the past. Be sad, grieve, pick up the pieces, move on.
Rating:
Summary: Reminds Me Of Home
Review: The two negative comments I've noted in several reviews were that 1) the movie doesn't follow the book very well and 2) the characters are unbelievable. Since I've not read the book, I can't form an opinion on this but judging the movie itself, I think it was well done regardless of whether it followed the book or not. The movie "A Beautiful Mind" is a good example of this. I liked this movie so much, I bought the book only to be disappointed in the movie. However, if you judge the movie on it's own without knowledge of the book, it's a good movie. I think this is probably the case with "The Shipping News". The characters probably seem unbelievable to anyone not from Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island or to anyone that doesn't know anyone from those two places. I grew up on Cape Breton Island and have friends from some of the most remote places in Newfoundland. This movie captured the character of the people of Newfoundland better than anything I've ever seen or read. "The Shipping News" is a great feel good movie and watching it makes me think of and miss my home.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Cinematography
Review: A dull and uninspiring movie this maybe, but one just have to NOTICE Blanchett's precise and noteworthy performance. An excellent effort from the cinematography department is also obvious. Sadly, the movie's lacklustre (adapted) screenplay, and Spacey's substandard and dry performance makes one's experience of watching this movie rather unpleasant READ THE BOOK FIRST... I guarantee you'll love it
Rating:
Summary: Gone all wrong
Review: Once upon a time, a woman wrote a novel -- a miracle of a tale, full of pain and humor -- and then, all of a sudden, some drones determined to make a movie of this wonderful book. But get this! The main character of the novel, Quoyle, has "a great damp loaf of a body", a protruberent chin, and is endlessly morose. So they cast Kevin Spacey in this crucial role. Now you can see the problem with the movie. The book turns on the reader's believing that Quoyle would act as he does because he is as he is. But Spacey, being nothing like the real Quoyle, is run aground because there is no way that HE would react to the events in Quoyle's life the way Quoyle does. Not the presence of Judi Densch, Julianne Moore, Spacey, Scott Glenn, or Cate Blanchett can manage to save this misdirected film. Not that it's Lasse Halstrom's fault either. He just got the wrong actor to play the lead role. You might appreciate the austere vistas of Newfoundland ( and Nova Scotia ), and you might enjoy the characters as they wander in and out of the plotline. But the movie's wrong. 3 stars is generous.
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