Message in a Bottle is a 1999 American romantic drama film directed by Luis Mandoki. It is based on the novel Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks. The film features actors Kevin Costner, Robin Wright (who used her married name, Robin Wright Penn, at the time), and Paul Newman. It was filmed in Maine, Chicago, and Wilmington, North Carolina.

The story follows Theresa Osborne, a writer and researcher for the Chicago Tribune, who searches for the person who wrote a letter found inside a bottle. She later falls in love with the letter’s author, a shipbuilder.

The film was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on February 12, 1999. Critics gave it negative reviews, but it was successful at the box office, earning $118 million with a budget of $30 million.

Plot

Theresa Osborne, a former reporter, now works as a researcher for the Chicago Tribune. During a trip to Cape Cod, she discovers a typed love letter inside a bottle buried in the sand. The letter is addressed to someone named Catherine. Theresa is very interested in the letter and shares it with her coworkers. Without her permission, they publish the letter in their newspaper and get many replies.

One of the replies includes another letter written on the same paper and typed in the same style, also addressed to Catherine. Later, they get another similar letter from a reader, but this one is not addressed to Catherine. It is also typed on the same paper. Using the typewriter and the letterhead, they find the person who wrote the letters. His name is Garrett Blake, and he lives in a quiet area on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, near his father, Dodge.

Theresa travels to the Outer Banks to learn more about the letters. When she meets Garrett, they feel a connection and begin to get to know each other better. She tries to explain the reason for her visit but hesitates, fearing she might lose him. They live far apart, and Garrett still struggles to forget Catherine, who has passed away.

Theresa's career grows as the story of the "message in a bottle" is shared in newspapers without revealing Garrett's identity. Garrett visits Chicago to meet Theresa and her young son. They spend a happy day together, but when he finds his letters in her nightstand, he becomes upset and leaves.

When Theresa tells Garrett about the third letter, he is curious because he only wrote two. The third letter, which was not addressed to Catherine, was actually written by Catherine herself. In it, she expresses her love for Garrett, shares her knowledge of her upcoming death, and says she is content with the short time they had together. Garrett takes the letter and leaves, leaving Theresa sad.

Garrett moves on with his life and resolves issues with Catherine's family, who had been fighting over her artwork. With help from Catherine's brother, he completes a boat he designed and names it Catherine in her honor. He invites Theresa to the boat's ceremony.

When Theresa arrives, she watches Garrett give a heartfelt speech about Catherine. She realizes he still loves his late wife and decides to leave. She tells Garrett he can contact her if he is ready to begin a new life.

Later, Garrett writes a letter to Catherine, places it in a bottle, and goes sailing. A storm hits, and he tries to save a family from a sinking boat. He saves two people but drowns while trying to rescue the mother.

Dodge calls Theresa to tell her about Garrett's death. Heartbroken, she goes to the Outer Banks to say goodbye. Dodge gives her the letter Garrett had written for Catherine, found on his boat. In it, Garrett writes that he has found someone new—Theresa—and asks for Catherine's blessing to start a new life with her.

Although deeply sad, Theresa returns home feeling at peace. She says the experience, though painful, helped her understand what matters most in life.

Production

The producers originally planned to film in Tangier, Virginia, but the Tangier town council did not allow the filming because the script included scenes with drinking, swearing, and sexual content.

Warner Bros. then tried filming in Chilmark, Martha's Vineyard, but the Chilmark Conservation Commission refused to approve building a temporary 3,000-square-foot house on stilts in the dunes near Chilmark Pond.

Beach scenes were filmed at Popham Beach in Phippsburg, Maine. No scenes were filmed at the Outer Banks, which is the setting of the novel.

The Irish music group Clannad wrote the song "What Will I Do" for the film. Singer Richard Marx also composed the song "One More Time," which was sung by Laura Pausini and played during the closing credits.

Reception

The film earned $52.9 million in North America and $66.0 million in other countries, totaling $118.9 million worldwide. During its opening weekend, it earned $18.9 million, becoming the top movie at the box office and pushing Payback to second place.

Message in a Bottle received mostly negative reviews from critics. On the website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 32% rating based on 38 reviews, with an average score of 5.2 out of 10. The site’s summary says the film “looks good but lacks emotional depth, leaving a strong cast without much to work with in a dull romance.” Metacritic gives the film a score of 39 out of 100, based on 23 critics, which means most reviews were unfavorable.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars out of four. He praised the lead actors, especially Newman, who “stood out in every scene,” but criticized the film’s forced ending.

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a “sad and slow-moving movie that makes people cry,” but noted it had an existing audience because the book was a bestseller.