Rating: 
Summary: I dig Kevin Spacey...
Review: A good adaptation of Annie Proulx's novel about a lifeless nebbish whose shipwreck of a life is rescued from sinking altogether by a well-timed return to emotional health and connection with other people. Some of the plot elements trod on well-worn paths: the rejuvenating influence of unpretentious small-town life, the wacky cast of locals, etc. ("Northern Exposure" much?) But it's always a pleasure to watch Kevin Spacey at work; this isn't as remarkable a performance as his characters in "The Usual Suspects" or "American Beauty,", but the subtle shifts and learning curve of his Quoyle are still right on the mark. Worth checking out.
Rating: 
Summary: Good acting, poor script
Review: Having heard lots of good things about The Shipping News, and being a moderate fan of Kevin Spacey, I decided to rent this video. The standard of acting, directing and cinematography is all very high, with good performances from Spacey, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench (though seeing Dench pop up in 50% of all films is becoming somewhat tedious).The problem with this film is its script. The plot is sentimental, predictable drivel, starting well casting Spacey as the heartbreaking loner, but resolving his problems in such a "...and they all lived happily ever after" fashion that it is impossible to feel uplifted by his transformation. Everything falls into place for him in predictably easy, unrealistic fashion. Admittedly, one or two plot twists are added to spice things up, but the majority of the script is too predictable for any amount of good acting, cinematography or directing to lift. 3 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Spectacliuar Acting!
Review: Academy Award winning actors Kevin Spacey and Judi Dench are totally awesome with Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore for the leading characters. But most of all I loved Jason Behr( former Max of Roswell) as Dennis Buggit he got right into the character as if it were actually him especially totally ingnoring his dad ( Scott Glenn) until th alleged death and wake at the end. Plus he made a great comic relief for Spacey during the wood working scene. Lasse Halstrom is an awesome director I would recommend this movie to all the Roswellian fans who have watched Jason play a teen alien and to anyone who would want to see an awsome movie.
Rating:
Summary: This film was bound to cause some controversy--worth seeing?
Review: This is one of those difficult films to review--I read E. Annie Proulx's novel "The Shipping News" and I kept wondering while I was reading it how would anyone ever film such a book. Not that I didn't like the novel--I loved it. But Author Proulx brings out the internal themes of lives lost by being caught in an internal snare of depression and self-loathing, the magic of children who can see a secret world, and the ability of even lost characters to find redemption. How can a film, which must either focus on visuals, action or dialog, bring out themes which rely more on authorly description? Ms. Proulx was reported to be quite pleased with this rendition of her book, and there is a lot of merit to the way that director Lasse Hallström chooses to depict his main characters and their difficulties. Kevin Spacek creates a rather accurate Quoyle, who is on the surface a completely inept and emotionally frozen dweeb, a perpetual victim. Judi Dench is snappy and acrid as his Newfoundland-born aunt. Cate Blanchett works magic with her all-too-few moments on the screen as nasty Petal. Petal's cruelty is more horrifying in the book, but Blanchett manages to convey the character of a libertine and emotional steamroller with marvelous economy. The problem with "Shipping News" is that the scenes don't always seem to connect completely smoothly, though the individual scenes are logical in how they build the character's growth. An example of this is the party scene, where one of the newspaper's reporters celebrates his impending escape from Newfoundland. It just doesn't make sense to the story. However, The newspaper's quirky staff, Spacek, Dench and Blanchett's excellent performances make this a fairly good film. Problem is, if you read the book, the film will make sense and only slightly disappoint you. If you haven't read the book, the film makes far less sense and leaves a lot of confusion behind. I think I'd rate this as a good solid attempt to film an unfilmable book. The DVD has some on-location tidbits showing the challenges of Maritime Canadian weather, but the "extras other than that are not notable.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it!
Review: I can only say that I've never seen Kevin Spacey in any movie, where he wasn't giving a superb performance. He is my favorite actor...PERIOD. The Shipping News is just another rung on his ladder of success. If you have meticulous standards (meaning you're a Spacey fan) then you also have to see 'The Big Kahuna' and 'Swimming with Sharks'.
Rating: 
Summary: Drama That Left Me Cold
Review: Two Stars--one for Cate Blanchett--and the film was worth watching for her performance alone as Quoyle's wife (all too brief an appearance). What a marvellous trollop she makes.
And another star for the cinematography. I usually like Kevin Spacey films--in this film I found his performance wooden (and yes, I know he was supposed to be emotionally stunted). But the overwhelming villian in this piece was the PLOT. Another ugly-secret-in-the-family-drama. BORING!
Rating:
Summary: It was okay, but not great
Review: LOTS OF THINGS GOING ON
This was an interesting movie in one sense, all these lives intertwined. The growth and personal lives of the characters However, I felt there was so much going on that you never got the full import of how each character was developing, until later thinking about the movie. R.G. COYLE WAS A VICTIM OF HIS OWN INACTION
First there was Kevin Spacey's (R.G. Coyle) character and his relationship with his abusive parents. His character was that of a beaten dog. He runs into the character of Petal played excellently by Cate Blanchett. She continues the abuse but also provides him with a daughter, Bunny. His father's exit from this world is announced to him in the most causual of ways, which starts a snowball of tragedies just as an unknown aunt (Judy Densch) appears on his doorstep. LIFE IN NEWFOUNDLAND
It is clear that life feels too much for R. G. Coyle. It all happens to him. He grudgingly accepts the suggestion of his long lost aunt to return to his family's former homeland. His last name opens some doors for him and his peculiar new life is begun. His new home is in northern Canada, where fishing and shipping is the lifeblood of the town. His name carries weight, but he is surprised at its significance. Everyone seems to know more than him. Secrets abound, even within his own family. A town widow befriends him, and their relationship develops but not without its troubles. Not a lot changes but what does change, changes for everyone. This would have been easier to follow as a book as each person's life from his employer and his son, his co-workers, his aunt, the widow and her son and his daughter's lives are all intricated weaved and changing with time. A lot like real life, but then in real life the focus is a bit more narrow. It was a interesting movie but like life, only some moderate highs and some really major lows. Also there are some hokey aspects to the movie that didn't really make sense.
Rating:
Summary: Uneven Acting and a Disturbing Storyline
Review: This is a disturbing film, a film filled with anguish, dispair, fear and grief. To be sure, there is goodness and hope as well, but you'll be much happier with your own life after you've witnessed the lives that these characters have suffered. Although the film ends on a positive note, this is not a "feel good" film; you'll be drained and feeling uneasy by the time it concludes. The acting is overall strong, although Kevin Spacey's performance is a bit uneven. Julianne Moore turns in her typical strong performance and Dame Judith Dench was very well cast.
Rating:
Summary: Great actors as interesting characters in familiar storyline
Review: "The Shipping News" is one of those films where I find myself compelled to go out and read the novel, because you get the feeling that there is just so much more out there about these characters. However, if you listen to the commentary track on the DVD version of this film you will probably here more than you want to about what else is in the book and what they changed/omitted/added from the book than you might possibly want to know. Anyhow, this time around we are talking about Lasse Hallstrom's film. The story of "The Shipping News" is certainly nothing new: a weary man, R. G. Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) beaten down by life returns to the home of his father and finds an entirely new life. What makes the story work are the place and the characters. What makes the film work is the scenery and the actors. After a whirlwind introduction to Quoyle and the disaster his life has become, he and his daughter Bunny are taken under the wing of his Aunt Agnis (Judi Dench), who suddenly appears on his doorstep after the suicide of his father. Her solution is to take Quoyle to Newfoundland where he finds himself suddenly working for the "Gammy Bird," the local newspaper, where he is supposed to write the Shipping News. Everyone at the newspaper is a colorful character (Gordon Pinset as Billy Pretty is my favorite of the lot) and there is Wavey Prowse (Julianne Moore), a widow lady who runs the local day care and whose life story is almost as sad as Quoyle's. Then we throw into the mix the strange green house cabled to the point and the rather brutal history of the family Quoyle. Obviously the guy is going to get the girl in this film, but the romance aspect of "The Shipping News" is such a slow and torturous dance that you are compelled to root for this couple to drop their barriers and finally find each other (this was where the unpredictable elements of the film's predictable storyline won me over). Meanwhile each performance in this film is pretty much an exquisite little character study. For my money Kevin Spacey is the finest actor working in films today and his performance as Quoyle is simply unlike anything you have seen him do to date. This is a subtle performance of a man waking from what has been essentially a lifelong dream to join the real world. Like Spacey, Judi Dench's best scenes involve silence, where a look becomes more eloquent than dialogue. Julianne Moore turns in an understated performance that matches this pair, while Cate Blanchett in a small but pivotal role as Petal gives the film its initial emotional charge. Scott Glenn as Jack Buggit, owner and publisher of the "Gammy Bird" provides the strange opportunity for Quoyle to find a new life (while gutting fish at the same time). I would be inclined to think that those who have admired the group of actors seen in this film from their previous performances will be more enamored with "The Shipping News" than those who come to it from having read E. Annie Proulx's novel. However, I like films in which I get the feeling there is much more to the characters, the story, and the world in which they live, which is why I feel so inclined to go read the novel and see what else went on up in Newfoundland with Quoyle and company. This is one of the better character studies to come down the road for a while and if that is you cup of tea, then definitely check out this film.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, Timeless Character Study Of A Man On The Edge!
Review: Kevin Spacey works well into this thought-provoking tale of man gone back to try to find his place in the scheme of things, a man returning in search of his roots. Given the fact that doing so requires Spacey to abandon his usual self-confident demeanor and ostentatious panache in favor of a more confused and self-tortured inaction and doubt, this is a meaningful departure from his previous work. Yet he does so with more than enough skill, tact, and craftsmanship to make the central character quite believable. This is critically important, as this film is really a character study of the Spacey character and of his tortured efforts to try to find a way out of the box life has placed him in, to try to rediscover himself. The supporting cast is memorable, as well, with the lovely Julianne Moore providing a comely yet intriguingly flawed love interest sufficient to both interest and attract this cold fish up a bit. Also, Dame Judy Dench is absolutely superb playing his curmudgeonly old aunt, a woman substantial enough to literally drag Quoyle back to his remote ancestral digs in coastal Newfoundland to help him search for his place in the family pantheon. Scott Glenn is also very good as a local newspaper publisher who sees potential in Quoyle and thus lures him into his world, as does the lovely Cate Blanchett, who promptly seduces Quoyle into a little lesson in love and regret. I really like this film as it takes the time and energy required to turn an off-beat character study into a memorable story, one we can all relate to, and one full of the pathos and pity that life is too often writ with. It is not a particularly fast-paced movie, and those looking for a quick pace or a lot of action best look elsewhere. But if you want to take some time to spend in looking deliberately and provocatively at many facets that make up a complex and evolving human being, this movie won't steer you wrong. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!
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