Big Miracle is not a frivolous feel-good movie. Yes, it is a movie of optimism and hope, which god knows we all need every now and then, but it is also a movie about the coming together of many different groups, all with their own agendas, who manage to do the impossible.
Some of you may remember in 1988 when three gray whales, mother, father and baby, got stuck under the ice with only a small, gradually-closing hole to breathe through. Up in the Beaufort Sea near Point Barrow in Alaska, the winter closed in sooner than expected and these whale didn’t leave in time to reach the open sea, which is now five miles away, too far for a whale to swim without being able to surface. This movie is based on this true story.
Drew Barrymore plays the part of a Greenpeace activist wanting more publicity for her causes while John Krasinski is a reporter looking to further his career. Others involved include the local inupiat people, the Reagan administration and the oil business. They all have a reason to be there helping the whales and none of them are purely altruistic but together they overcome their differences, even if only temporarily, to find some way to get these enormous creatures back to safety. And it’s not simple.
I found myself completely immersed in Big Miracle virtually from the beginning to the end. I think those out there who only see a feel-good movie have completely missed the point and there are several points that are being made. Drew Barrymore annoys the hell out of me because I can never forget it is her, but apart from that, I really enjoyed this movie.
Les says
Thanks for sharing Big Miracle – can opposing factions come together to perform a miracle?.