Message in a Bottle A Movie Review	MPAA Rated - PG-13 It's 2:06 Long A Review by The Dude on the Right

Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn

Now, it was a Saturday night, and Whammy wanted to see a movie. I told her there was a sneak preview of "Message in a Bottle," the new movie with Kevin "he's so dreamy" Costner, and Robin "what a babe, even with tousled hair" Wright Penn, followed by a free showing of "You've Got Mail." Somehow I got suckered into chick-flick night, but that's alright, because I enjoyed both movies. This review centers on "Message in a Bottle."

Robin Wright Penn plays Theresa Osborne, a researcher for the Chicago Tribune. She's on a little vacation by herself while her son visits with her ex-hubby. One day she's running down a beach and she comes across a bottle with a message in it, hence the title I think, but in any case, she is amazed that a guy could love a woman as much as the guy who wrote the letter could. Back in the office in Chicago, her lady co-workers are just as enamored about the letter, but her boss decides to run an article about it. Well, Theresa wants to find "G", the guy who wrote the letter, and being the researcher she is, with a little help from her friends, she tracks down the guy's location. Low and behold, she finds Garret (Costner), and well, falls in love with him, and he with her, although he is still hooked on Catherine.

Kevin Costner and Paul Newman

She finds out about Garret's life, about Catherine, his wife who died who he wrote the messages for, but neglects to tell Garret she knows about the messages. They spend some romantic evenings on the coast, but she has to leave for Chicago. Well, long distance relationships don't always work, but Garret visits Chicago anyway, meets her kid, and yea, you guessed it, finds out that Theresa found the messages, but there is a little twist thrown in.

I'll stop the explanation there so as not to ruin the ending.

Now, how was the movie. Well, it was basically a chick flick, and guys, well, your chick will probably drag you kicking and screaming to see it, but go ahead and hold her hand and let her cry on your shoulder at the end. Costner is Costner, and he plays the guy torn between the memory of his first love and the presence of his new love decently. He works Garret as the quiet, reserved man not sure of what to say anymore, and Wright Penn does a nice job as Theresa, still hurt by her ex's cheating on her, but afraid of losing Garret if she tells him the truth about the message she found. But from the guy side, the coolest character in "Message in a Bottle" was Paul Newman's portrayal of "Dodge," Garret's recovering, drank too much, father. He tells it like it is, still tries to woo the women, and just came across perfectly as the witty yet grumpy dad who just wishes the best for his son.

So, is "Message in a Bottle" a good movie. It's a love story, so go with that, and it's a nice love story. I liked Costner's portrayal of Garret, I liked pretty much any time Wright Penn was on the screen, and as much as Costner and Penn are who the movie was centered around, Paul Newman stole the show. It turned into a movie about losing love, finding love, and how never knowing when it will slip away. It also was a movie teaching the value of wearing a life preserver when you're on a boat.

So, on the rating scale, as a movie in general, I'd give it 3 ½ stars. But, because the powers that be didn't cave into the pressure of sappiness, it's an extra star. That's 4 ½ stars out of 5.

That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!