Message in a Bottle
A woman finds a romantic letter in a bottle washed ashore and tracks down the author, a widowed shipbuilder whose wife died tragically early. As a deep and mutual attraction blossoms, the man struggles to make peace with his past so that he can move on and find happiness.
Critics Sentiment
Dodge Blake is introduced as Garrett's wise and charming father
Garrett drowns while heroically saving a family from their sinking boat
The film crashes from moderate romantic drama to its lowest point during Garrett's sudden death, which reviewers universally condemned as a forced plot device.
Critics consistently praised Paul Newman's performance as the film's highlight while finding the overall story overly melodramatic and drawn out. The sentiment remains relatively steady through most of the romance, but plummets during the contrived tragic ending that reviewers felt disconnected from the story's emotional core.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 24
Kevin Costner
Garrett Blake
Robin Wright
Theresa Osborne
Paul Newman
Dodge Blake
John Savage
Johnny Land
Illeana Douglas
Lina Paul
Robbie Coltrane
Charlie Toschi
Jesse James
Jason Osborne
Bethel Leslie
Marta Land
Tom Aldredge
Hank Land
Viveka Davis
Alva
Raphael Sbarge
Andy
Rosemary Murphy
Helen at the B&B
Steven Eckholdt
David Osborne
Susan Brightbill
Catherine Land Blake
David Paris
Helicopter Pilot #1
Patricia Belcher
Annie
Elizabeth Guindi
Christine
Jennifer Lamb
Woman on Sinking Boat
Hayden Panettiere
Girl on Sinking Boat
Richard Hamilton
Chet
Crew
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