December 7, 2023 | Rome, Italy

The Shipping News

By |2018-03-21T18:31:36+01:00September 2nd, 2004|Reviews|

2

Date: 2001

Director: Lasse Hallström

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore

N

ot much to shout about, unless you like watching an unrecognizable Cate Blanchett (Petal). Lasse Hallström’s film respects the mood of E. Annie Proulx’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, though its Hollywood sensibility keeps Newfoundland from genuine hardness. Daughter Bunny in tow, Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) flees his shattered Poughkeepsie life (Petal is a loose cannon loser) for the ostensibly forthright Newfoundland of his ancestors. There, he meets “true” folk, including Wavey Prowse (Julianne Moore), with whom he falls in love. The problem with sincere films is how their sincerity snuffs out insinuation. Everything’s on a platter, annoyingly so.

About the Author:

A military brat, Marcia Yarrow was born in Hamburg, Germany but grew up in Germany, Spain, and Provo, Utah. She's been writing for the magazine since its creation in 2004.