Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 95
Fresh: 70 | Rotten: 25
Big Miracle uses real-life events as the basis for a surprisingly satisfying family drama.
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 5
Big Miracle uses real-life events as the basis for a surprisingly satisfying family drama.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.2/5
User Ratings: 10,161
Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, the rescue adventure Big Miracle tells the amazing tale of a small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and an animal-loving volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle. -- (C) Universal
Feb 3, 2012 Wide
$16.7M
Universal Pictures
All Critics (96) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (70) | Rotten (25)
Ken Kwapis' 'Big MIracle': Defiantly old-fashioned, in a 1950s way, and impressively untrendy
There's something refreshing about a kids' movie that manages to get through its entire length without a poop joke.
"Big Miracle" might be subtitled, "How Hollywood Turned a Real Story Into Bogus Fiction."
Big Miracle is not one of those whale tales that leaves the audience blubbering, but it's open to the allure of the imposing creatures, which resemble long boulders that have come to life.
"Big Miracle" shouldn't really work, but it does.
Cold War-era bonding over whales? It would sound utterly absurd if it weren't based on fact. And that's part of what makes this movie fun for adults.
funny, tear jerking, smart, and not a little subversive with a few well-place jabs at unexpectedly deserving parties as well as a few kudos in a few surprising places
Genial feelgood story inspired by a true story that made headlines in 1988.
Big Miracle, beyond its bland, nondescript title, delivers exactly what the coming attraction promised, an enjoyable save-the-whales" tale.
This is, well, huge. This 'little story,' which occurred in 1988, is made all the more real by clips of real film footage and TV newscasts from that era. 'Big Miracle' refers, of course, to the immensity of the story and its main players - three whales.
The makers attempt to coat their fascinatingly bitter pill with saccharine. They are, however, only partially successful.
[S]urprisingly pleasant... Feel-good hokum is achieved with a minimum of groans induced thanks to director Ken Kwapis' light touch...
Big Miracle has some decent special effects and a young boy will help it to feel more relevant to children.
Ponderously sincere but it does tell a good story.
Krasinski and Barrymore are very likable characters with screen charisma. They seem at ease having previously worked with Kwapis. The movie's other chief strengths are the excellent casting choices, the cinematography and the lifelike animatronic puppets.
It is a laborious, sentimental drama featuring a self-parodic performance from Drew Barrymore, based on a TV news event that briefly gripped the US in 1988.
Inspiring as any family-centric film can be, without being too insipid and manipulative.
A grounding in the real-life story makes this film much less sentimental than it looks.
The whales are so appealing, and the fight to free them from their ice prison so excitingly feel-good, that all cynicism is put aside, making this very decent family entertainment.
Much better than the poster or trailer suggests.
Well made and superbly acted by a strong ensemble cast, this is an enjoyable, warmly written drama that resists the temptation to overdose on sentimentality and delivers a strong message.
Directed by Ken Kwapis, Universal Pictures, 2012. Starring: Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, John Pingayak, Kristen Bell, Time Blake Nelson, Stephen Root, Dermot Mulroney, John Michael Higgins, Kathy Baker and Ted Danson. Genre: Drama, Romance Question: Do you have that one animal that you absolutely adore? Perhaps
February 13, 2012Super Reviewer
you know, I really liked Big Miracle. We got to see a Sneak Preview and the best way I can describe it...it's like a Disney Sports Film About Whales. Think Miracle, Remember the Titans...that kind of emotion, that kind of inspiring, "we can do it" kind of feeling, but about the entire country and specifically a little
January 31, 2012Super Reviewer
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