Big MiracleBy Wilson Morales
Just when one thinks that seeing the new Whale film, ‘Big Miracle,’ would feel as you were ‘taking one for the team’ and sitting through a redo of ‘Free Willy,’ you would be happy to know that film is actually a pleasant surprise.
Directed by Ken Kwapis, and starring Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Dermot Mulroney, Rob Riggle, Vanessa Shaw, and Tim Blake Nelson, the film, though based on a true event, manages to be funny, emotional, and entertaining without being manipulative. It’s a good family film that will tug at the hearts of the audience.
Set in a small town Alaska around October 1988, Adam Carlson (Krasinski) is the local TV reporter looking to capture a story that will somehow land him a job with a bigger network. Meanwhile, his ex-girlfriend, Rachel Kramer (Barrymore) is a Greenpeace volunteer who constantly fights the businessman Liam Peterson, who recently won a huge oil drilling rights contract.
When filming a story by the Arctic Circle with his young friend Nathan (Ahmaogak Sweeney), Adam notices that there three Whales trapped by the ice around the water and ice continues to build up, the survival is becoming slimmer by days. Little did Adam know that after he sent in his story, it would land him at the center of the media world, and make the national headlines. All of a sudden, every reporter in the country is coming to Alaska looking to gain advancement on the careers. Even Rachel comes back to town to help the Whales to safety.
With the help of the local natives, Liam, who’s changed his tune, the local government and the National Guard, all hands are on deck as time is running out for this family of whales, as it will take a lot of manpower to get them to safety.
What makes ‘Miracle’ a good family treat is that the story, over 20 years old and true, gets the audience invested. While the script is banal at times with scenes that could have been edited out, the characters are colorful and likeable. Everyone from Krasinsky, Barrymore, Bell, and the others seem to be having fun while filming this as if they were actually filming a segment for National Geographic. There also is no adversary in the film, except for time, and Kwapis makes the most of it showcasing the efforts it took to get a whole town and media involved to save the Whale.
From ‘From Willy’ to last year’s ‘Dolphin Tale,’ we’ve seen these stories told before, but every film is told from a different angle, and in the end, this really a good natured story where even President Ronald Reagan got involved during that time. ‘Big Miracle’ is a heartwarming family film that will leave the audience satisfied.
