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I’ve always wanted to visit Newfoundland -- and now I must admit that my curiosity has only grown, thanks to The Shipping News.
Kevin Spacey was perfectly type-cast for his role as R.G. Quoyle, a spineless guy who’s lived his life in the hands of others -- without being able to stand up for himself or to make his own choices. When his controlling and openly unfaithful wife (Cate Blanchett) dies, leaving him to raise their daughter, Bunny, Quoyle’s aunt (Judi Dench) convinces him to move back to his family’s home in Newfoundland.
In Newfoundland, things start to change for Quoyle. He gets a job as a reporter for the local news, writing stories about boats and car crashes, and he makes some real friends -- including Wavey Prowse (Julianne Moore), the beautiful widow who runs Bunny’s school.
As he battles with competition at work and with Bunny’s problems adjusting to her mom’s death and her new life in Newfoundland (not to mention her gift for “seeing things”), Quoyle learns more about his family -- and about the problems they’ve fought (and are still fighting) to overcome.
The Shipping News is a beautiful movie. Yes, the Newfoundland scenery is beautiful, but that’s not exactly the beauty of this movie. The beauty is found in the reality of it all -- in the gentle humor and the struggles of everyday life, of the closeness of family and friends. The Shipping News was beautifully done. The cast was incredible, and the story was even better.
And while I may not be able to say as much about this film as someone who’s read the book (like Andrew, for instance), I can still recommend that you see it. You definitely don’t need to read the book first to understand it -- you can appreciate it by itself.
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