The Shipping News (2001)
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom
Written by Robert Nelson Jacobs
Starring Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Scott Glenn, Cate Blanchett
Release Date December 18th, 2001
Published December 17th, 2001
E. Annie Proulx's bestseller The Shipping News preceded Oprah's book club by a few years but if the film is anything like the book then it would fit Oprah's book club perfectly. The Shipping News is that kind of non-controversial life affirming claptrap that Oprah extols on a weekly basis. The film, adapted for the screen Robert Nelson Jacobs and directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the master of life affirming claptrap, stars Kevin Spacey as Quoyle.
While living a miserable invisible existence, Quoyle is finally noticed by Pedal Bear (yes I said Pedal Bear), played by the lovely Cate Blanchett. Pedal however is not as soft as her name would suggest. She uses Quoyle for room and board while cheating on him. Pedal does manage to have a child with Quoyle, but isn't much of a mother to Bunny, played by the Gainer Triplets Lauren, Kaitlyn and Alissa.
Quoyle is a good father but far too dull for Pedal who continues to run around on him until she is killed in a car wreck. Quoyle and his daughter pick up their lives and leave to live with Quoyle's Aunt Agnis (Dame Judi Dench) in Newfoundland. There, Quoyle gets a job at a local newspaper where he writes the shipping news, a very big deal in the small fishing community.
Scott Glenn is Jack Buggit, the paper's eccentric owner who hires Quoyle despite the fact that Quoyle has no writing experience and while he will be writing about boats, Quoyle hates water. This is supposed to be cute and quirky but it plays as baffling and bizarre. Soon after landing a job he's not qualified for, Quoyle meets the obligatory movie love interest. Her name is Wavy Prowse (yes I said Wavy) (Julianne Moore). Why? I have no idea why.
Maybe I'm too cynical for this film, or any film with characters named Wavy, Pedal and Bunny. Oh and don't forget Tert (Pete Postlethwaite) the newspapers manager and Beaufeld Nutbeem (Rhys Ifans) the paper’s international writer. Of course Ifans is one of the few actors who could pull off a character named Beaufeld Nutbeem.
The Shipping News is a typically Lasse Hallstrom movie. It's prosaic and slow though lovely to look at. He's terrific at soft surfaces but even more adept at softheaded narratives with all of the memorable qualities of a barely remembered dream. All of Lasse Hallstrom's films seem to strive for deep meaning but they almost always end up with little more than surface emotion and not much else. I apologize if you are someone who enjoys Lasse Hallstrom's gauzy, bleary, boring movies but I cannot begin to understand why anyone would enjoy them.
I had hoped this film would be a return to form for Spacey after consecutive dull performances in Pay It Forward and K-Pax. Sadly though, Spacey in The Shipping News continues in his dewy-eyed schlep role, no passion, no vigor, nothing of Lester Burnham or Verbal Kint or John Doe. Even Spacey's screen chewing presence in The Big Kahuna is preferable to his recent string of dull losers.
The Shipping News sinks.
Sorry I couldn't help myself.
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