The Shipping News (2001)
The Shipping News, in a strange way, reminds me of Northern Exposure. The Latitude (though The Shipping News’ Newfoundland vs. Northern Exposure’s Alaska), the weather, the quirky character-driven vignettes wrapped in a slightly bizarre but still safe wrapper. With Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, some localized mythology and snow-driven insanity, The Shipping News is a fun (and funny) story that hits so many dark places that it probably shouldn’t feel so light, but it does. Like The World According To Garp (1982), The Shipping News is the story of strange boy who grows up to be a writer (accidentally, in this case) and tries to escape the demons forced onto him by family and fate. As a wannabe writer and a fan of the stars, how could I resist? It isn’t quite as fulfilling as I would hope; something seems to be missing, but it is worth seeing at least once.