Highest Rated Review by the Community
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community Jan 25, 2003
Pros: Scott Glenn. The story, if you can manage to work out the better version.
Cons: Screenplay. Direction. Other actors are off.
Summary: ‘The Shipping News’ is the sort of movie that has a question at its core (even according to itself), and it’s the sort of movie that needs one. The question at the core of it is (something like), ‘Can a shy, inept man who has spent his ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Mar 23, 2007
Pros: Authentic Newfie music, scenery
Cons: None of the actors are Canadian, so accents are mangled, story stretches credibility
Summary: In Will and Ian Ferguson's underrated masterpiece "How To Be A Canadian," there is a chapter entitled "Art and Stuff," in which they discuss Canadian literature, and in doing so identified the following elements present in "The Shipping News": incest, ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Oct 29, 2004
Pros: The plot (in the book reviews) sounds interesting.
Cons: Good grief. I did not buy this from the start. Nothing worked at all.
Summary: “Shipping News” starts off with the very cliché scene of a father throwing the kid in the lake—sink or swim. Yep. I’m sure it was done. I know it was done. But, the dock toss has been done to death in literature and film. And, really now, if that is the ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jul 31, 2004
Pros: Kevin Spacey, good directing.
Cons: Petal's one dimensional evil.
Summary: My fellow Swede Lasse Hallström has made a film with a sad man named Quoyle as its protagonist. His father’s treated him cruelly and he fears the water. His wife’s gone philandering and casually abusing him like the castrating hell-wench she is. Kevin ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Mar 28, 2003
Pros: beautiful scenery, good acting
Cons: Detached story, characters underdeveloped, seemed incomplete in general
Summary: I'm sure that somewhere in here there was a story dying to be told. And in between that there were sub-stories waiting in the wings. Unfortunately it just doesn't seem to come together. What little story there is gets lost among the sweeping scenery ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Sep 12, 2002
Pros: Some lovely photography of Newfoundland.
Cons: A tragic waste of capable actors.
Summary: I am absolutely exhausted. Three weeks of location shooting in Europe will do that to even a star of my magnitude and legendary stamina. Fortunately, we've captured the footage we need for my spectacular new film musical, Goodfollies, and I have ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Sep 11, 2002
Pros: good acting and casting, nice simple story
Cons: too much symbolism, too neatly tied together
Summary: I normally like simple stories about simple people. I remember missing this movie at the theatres, and was looking forward to a nice quiet evening of myself, the movie, and my cat.
The movie is about one man's struggle with his identity (Kevin ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jul 24, 2002
Pros: Beautiful scenery, delightful acting
Cons: Dark story lines, no Newfie dogs, too much fish
Summary: Film from a strange dark land
The Shipping News is a film rich in strange imagery, and odd characters. There are step-like rocks, towering above a freezing sea, lesbian grandmas, seal-knuckle pies, squid sandwiches, oil tankers, news ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jul 7, 2002
Pros: Lots of (un)expected shockers and horrible wonder of life
Cons: men may not think there is enough action here...
Summary: Kevin Spacey is enamored of tales of horrible things happening to innocent people, and figuring out life thereafter. How many examples does one need? "KPax," "Pay it Forward," The list goes on and on and on. And he is very good at it.
In ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jun 28, 2002
Pros: Quality acting with good performances all around; makes you feel better toward your own existence
Cons: Very SLOW, esp. at beginning; takes a while to progress; ending VERY sub-par
Summary: This film should not be initially cast as bad, per se. However, some serious flaws and failing greatly detract from what the movie could have been. It does have a semi-complicated story line with so many different feelings and characters ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jun 27, 2002
Pros: Much of the sterling cast shines. Everything looks right.
Cons: Poor Kevin Spacey. Must have seemed like a good idea at the time.
Summary: Somewhere along the line, the people involved in producing The Shipping News became so concerned with making a prestigious picture that they stopped paying any attention to making a truly good picture. After going through half a dozen different ... read more
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Rated a Somewhat Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Feb 11, 2002
Pros: beautiful scenery, ok date movie
Cons: kevin spacey's character
Summary: My wife greatly enjoyed the book, whereas I went into the movie with no preconceived notions of where it would be going. She of course found fault with some of the major changes to the plot, but I was blissfully unaware of them. Of course once I read ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Feb 2, 2002
Pros: Beautiful scenery of New Foundland's cliffs and oceans
Cons: Slow moving
Summary: KEVIN SPACEY, gives another emotionless performance as Quoyle, a man who has been frightened since childhood. Firstly, because his abusive father would throw him into the water, forcing him to swim. Secondly, because as an adult he tangles up with a ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jan 28, 2002
Pros: Terrific character study for Kevin Spacey, newspaper headline humor.
Cons: The ending seemed incomplete.
Summary: On the surface, "The Shipping News" is not a great movie. But for Kevin Spacey, it is a terrific character study of a man drowning in his own despair, in desperate need of a helping hand.
By his own accounts, Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) is ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jan 21, 2002
Pros: Beautiful Newfoundland shots. Good fictional tale.
Cons: Jason Behr does the worst Newfoundland accent ever!
Summary: ...however, many of my Newfie friends have a different opinion of this movie, so maybe not!
This movie was filmed last year on my beautiful island. It is based on a pulitzer-prize winning novel by E. Annie Proulx, who divides her time between ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jan 12, 2002
Pros: Deep, moving and sentimental.
Cons: none
Summary: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie that targets the common man's feelings. Films too often address women's angst opposed to a man's charmed life... Shipping News show the blood and guts of an abused man's recurring pain.
Shipping News addresses ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jan 7, 2002
Pros: Beautiful cinematography, Kevin Spacey shines
Cons: Somewhat fragmented and incomplete story
Summary: Headline: Conquering inner fears makes everyone stronger individuals...
The Shipping News gives us wonderful cinematography and heartfelt performances. However, it also gives us some strange conflicts and a fragmented story.
... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 28, 2001
Pros: Excellent cast of actors, and wonderful shots of the scenic Newfoundland coast.
Cons: The script needed some improvements, because it wasn't compelling enough for me.
Summary: The Shipping News has a lot of surface appeal, because of the cast of actors that come along with its story. If you are anyone who is knows about great movie actors, then you would know that this fearsome foursome in this movie are some of the best ... read more
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Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 28, 2001
Pros: some great lines, images and characters
Cons: the finished product doesn't feel satisfying
Summary: When main character Quoyle in this story is learning to be a reporter, his boss tells him to find the "beating heart" of a story. Ironically, it seems that the makers of this movie didn't head that advice.
This is the first time I've seen a movie ... read more
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Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 28, 2001
Pros: Spacey, Dench and Moore turn in good performances.
Cons: The film has a confused, soap opera feel.
Summary: I am a big fan of Kevin Spacey. I am a big fan of Judi Dench. I really like a lot of Julianne Moore’s performances. So why didn’t I like “The Shipping News” more?
Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) has had a life with few luxuries and little joy. His ... read more
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Academy Award(R)-winning stars Kevin Spacey (AMERICAN BEAUTY, Best Actor, 1998) and Judi Dench (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, Best Supporting Actress, 1998) jo...
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the shipping news
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