I enjoyed this film, I really did, but it simply lacked the credibility of romantic interest between the two leads which is so important to any love story. Robin Wright Penn, who has really aged since Forrest Gump, is an underachieving divorcee journalist whose life changes forever when she discovers a bottle washed up on a beach. In it is a letter written by a man to his dead wife which is so soulful, so dedicated, that she decides to hunt him down. On discovering this man, Kevin Costner acting Kevin Costner, they embark on an affair without her letting on exactly how she found him. Obviousness abounds throughout the plot but the sumptuous scenery and good performances by Costner and Paul Newman mask the deficiencies for at least the first hour.
The main problem is the Costner/Penn relationship. At first their reasons to be with one another seem justified, she likes him because of the letter, he because she's the only pretty girl in what is a small fishing village. However, the relationship never seems to move out of first gear and naturally cripples any kind of viewer believeability in it's future. It's running time is also quite extreme considering the material and genre and drags whenever something unimportant is on the screen.
On the plus side Newman's performance is truly absorbing and lends much needed gravitas to his and Costner's family problems relating to his wife's death. The feuding between them and their in-laws is an excellent backdrop to Costner's new love and explains his continuing obsession with the past. The ending is also very well realised though it can be seen a mile off and frankly left me a little bit disappointed considering the preceding 2 hours. |
