Message in a Bottle

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Message in a Bottle

PG-13,

1999,

2h 5m,

Romance

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Watchlist

Watchlist

31%

35 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

50,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

31%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

During her morning jog on the beach, journalist Theresa Osborne (Robin Wright Penn) discovers a bottle protruding from the sand. Inside it, she finds a heartbreaking, anonymous love letter. After her paper publishes the letter, Osborne tracks down the letter's reclusive author, world-weary widower Garret Blake (Kevin Costner), in the Carolinas. But, as Osborne finds herself falling hopelessly in love with Blake, she becomes wracked with guilt over the real impetus for her visit.

Critics Consensus

Handsome-looking but dramatically inert, Message in a Bottle maroons a formidable cast in a trite romance that lacks spark.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2/4

The climactic events are shameless, contrived, and wildly out of tune with the rest of the story. To saddle Costner, Penn and Newman with such goofy melodrama is like hiring Fred Astaire and strapping a tractor on his back.

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Apr 3, 2012

3/10

Costner has a free pass to be as lazy as he can possibly be, and the result is one of the most smugly alienating romantic lead performances that I can quickly call to mind.

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John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

Apr 18, 2009

5/10

If it had just quit while it was ahead....

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John Venable

Supercala.com

Dec 31, 2005

4/10

Leaves one feeling empty.

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Jeanne Aufmuth

Palo Alto Weekly

May 14, 2003

2/4

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

Feb 8, 2003

4/5

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Jan 13, 2019

Started of kind of slow. The story line was ok. Not one of my favorite romance movies

Nov 21, 2018

What a crap ending after a painfully awkward performance between the leads.

Finn W

Oct 16, 2008

A good movie. Not my favorite Nicholas Sparks.

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Luis Mandoki

Director

Kevin Costner

Garret Blake

Robin Wright

Theresa Osborne

Paul Newman

Dodge Blake

John Savage

Johnny Land

Illeana Douglas

Lina Paul

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Synopsis

During her morning jog on the beach, journalist Theresa Osborne (Robin Wright Penn) discovers a bottle protruding from the sand. Inside it, she finds a heartbreaking, anonymous love letter. After her paper publishes the letter, Osborne tracks down the letter's reclusive author, world-weary widower Garret Blake (Kevin Costner), in the Carolinas. But, as Osborne finds herself falling hopelessly in love with Blake, she becomes wracked with guilt over the real impetus for her visit.

Director: Luis Mandoki
Producer: Kevin Costner, Denise Di Novi, Jim Wilson
Screenwriter: Nicholas Sparks, Gerald Di Pego, Nicholas Sparks
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros.
Production Co: DiNovi Pictures, Bel Air Entertainment, Tig Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $52.8M
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround

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