The Perfect Storm (film)

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The Perfect Storm

The Perfect Storm Theatrical poster
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Produced by Gail Katz
Written by Sebastian Junger (book)
William D. Wittliff
Starring George Clooney
Mark Wahlberg
Diane Lane
John C. Reilly
William Fichtner
Music by James Horner
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) June 30, 2000 (USA)
Running time 130 minutes
Language English
Budget $120,000,000 (est.)
IMDb profile

The Perfect Storm is a 2000 film adapted from the book of the same title by Sebastian Junger. The film was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and features George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, William Fichtner, John C. Reilly, Allen Payne, John Hawkes, Diane Lane, Karen Allen and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.[1]

Contents

[edit] Plot

In September 1991, the swordfishing boat Andrea Gail returns to home port in Gloucester, Massachusetts with a poor catch. Desperate for money, the captain convinces his reluctant crew to join him for one more fishing expedition. They head out past their usual fishing grounds, leaving a developing storm behind them. They find great success at the Flemish Cap, but when their ice machine breaks, the only way to preserve their catch is to hurry back home. However, between the Andrea Gail and Gloucester is a confluence of two powerful weather fronts and a hurricane. The crew struggles to sail through pounding waves and shrieking winds, while friends and family worry and wait for a ship that never comes home.[1]

[edit] Cast

Actor Character Role
George Clooney Captain Billy Tyne Captain of the swordfish boat, the Andrea Gail. Tyne is a divorced father of two daughters who is determined to make one last fishing trip before the end of the season to make up for a poor catch.
Mark Wahlberg Bobby Shatford The youngest and most inexperienced of the crew of the Andrea Gail. Shatford is the son of Ethel Shatford, the owner of the Crow's Nest, and boyfriend to Chris Cotter. He reluctantly signs on for one last trip.
Diane Lane Christina 'Chris' Cotter Girlfriend of Bobby Shatford. She spends her time during the last fishing trip decorating an apartment she has rented as a surprise for Bobby. She did not want Bobby to go because of a bad feeling she had about the trip.
John C. Reilly Dale Murphy Called Murph by those who know him. Murph is a veteran fisherman who is divorced with a son with whom he's very involved. Reilly has an on-going antagonism with David Sullivan.
William Fichtner David Sullivan Called Sully, he signed on for the trip at the last minute when another fisherman declined the position. Sully and Murph do not get along.
Bob Gunton Alexander McAnally III Owner of the Mistral, a yacht caught in the storm.
Karen Allen Melissa Brown Crewmember on the Mistral.
Allen Payne Alfred Pierre One of the crew of the Andrea Gail.
John Hawkes Mike Moran Called Bugsy, he is a member of the Andrea Gail crew who had just met Irene Carell, a woman in whom he was interested.

[edit] Reaction

The families of certain crew members sued the producers in federal district court in Florida, claiming that their names were used without their permission, and that facts were changed.[2] The district court held that the defendants' First Amendment right to freedom of speech barred the suit. The plaintiffs appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, which could not decide how to interpret the Florida law at issue and certified the question to the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2005, the Florida Supreme Court upheld the district court's interpretation of Florida law and remanded the case to the 11th Circuit, which then affirmed the district court's original decision to dismiss the case.

The film holds a 47% approval rating on critic site Rotten Tomatoes.


[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Berardinelli, James, The Perfect Storm Film Review - reelviews.net, 2000 (Retrieved on 2007-01-25)
  2. ^ Unger, Howard M.. "Judge sinks 'Perfect Storm' lawsuit", Sarasota Herald Tribune, 2002-05-31. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. 

[edit] External links