Review: Big Miracle

Score:B

Director:Ken Kwapis

Cast:John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell, Dermot Mulroney

Running Time:107.00

Rated:PG

Just a few months ago the world was re-introduced to family films when Dolphin Tale showed us just how exciting real life can be.  Now, thanks to another extraordinary 'tail' , families can once again flock to the theaters, this time for a miracle of whale-sized proportions in Universal's Big Miracle.

Boasting an impressive cast that includes John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell, Dermot Mulroney, and Ted Danson, Big Miracle tells a story where three whales may deem more important than decades of foreign altercation.

When a news reporter uncovers s story where three grey whales are trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle, he instigates a national effort to save the helpless animals.  But with time and nature working against them, operation Breakthrough seems to be anything but cooperative.

John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore and Kristen Bell share surprisingly strong chemistry, spicing up the the screen even when the dialogue leaves much to be desired.  The film takes every opportunity to pull at your heartstrings as many tear ducts will be emptied by the time the whales' fate is determined.

While Big Miracle does borderline on overly cliche and is a bit melodramatic, you can't help but be drawn into its extraordinary story and characters.  Numerous subplots help keep things moving, and a little tease after the credits show that even the most unbelievable outcomes appear to be rooted in fact.  I didn't once look at my watch during the film's near two-hour run time, and in this day in age there is no bigger compliment I can give a film.

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About Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis
I owe this hobby/career to the one and only Stephanie Peterman who, while interning at Fox, told me that I had too many opinions and irrelevant information to keep it all bottled up inside. I survived my first rated R film, Alive, at the ripe age of 8, it took me months to grasp the fact that Julia Roberts actually died at the end of Steel Magnolias, and I might be the only person alive who actually enjoyed Sorority Row…for its comedic value of course. While my friends can drink you under the table, I can outwatch you when it comes iconic, yet horrid 80s films like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills. I have no shame when it comes to what I like, and if you have a problem with that, then we’ll settle it on the racquetball court. I see too many movies to actually win any film trivia contest, so don’t waste your first pick on me. My friends rent movies from my bookcase shelves, and one day I do plan to start charging. I long to live in LA, where my movie obsession will actually help me fit in, but for now I am content with my home in Austin. I prefer indies to blockbusters, Longhorns to Sooners and Halloween to Friday the 13th. I miss the classics, as well as John Ritter, and I hope to one day sit down and interview the amazing Kate Winslet.

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