The Shipping News (2001)

I like quirky, and this film is certainly that. It also boasted a most impressive cast (Kevin Spacey and Judi Dench headline, whilst Julianna Moore, Cate Blanchett, Pete Postlethwaite, Scott Glenn and a pleasantly normal Rhys Ifans support) at the time of it's release, but still it fails to engage the viewer as it could (and perhaps should) from a director like Hallström.

Spacey came off an amazing run with both American Beauty and K-Pax just prior to this, but he seems to be doing just a little bit too much in The Shipping News. His Quoyle before and after the accident simply doesn't feel like the same guy. If I was to venture a guess, it would be that director Lasse Hallström cut a significant part of the book there (or just changed the character halfway into production without re-shooting the early scenes). He goes from something close to a slow vegetable to a quite clever character in a matter of minutes, without any real explanation and that lacks believability. Spacey is a bit too soft-spoken at times and though he is more believable the last half of the film, this is not his finest hour. It's also a slight nuisance that while some of the actors sport an Irish accent throughout the film, others seem to limit themselves to a sentence or a word here and there.

Overall there is no lack of decent scenes here, Hallström just fails to make it all flow. For example, the two first encounters of Moore and Spacey are deftly executed and allow for memorable viewing. Another problem is that the film tries to incorporate more characters than it wishes to explain. Hence both Quoyles "wife" and daughter are annoying and caricatured. The wife is gone soon enough, but the daughter remains. Instead of bringing something exciting and innocent, her scenes are inexplicably dull or annoying and add very little to the other characters as she grossly changes her whole personality from one scene to the next.

As I am a huge fan of scores, I will always add a paragraph on the music. Christopher Youngs contribution is quite delightful, adding a sense of the Irish as well as drama and suspense. Forgettable on CD, but well taken for the film.

Hallström is able to convey both drama and at times even suspense. Extra credit to Julianna Moore for a standout performance among great colleagues. There are glimpses of immense quality here and there but ultimately it's unfulfilled.

6/10