The Shipping News

Audience Reviews

View More

Marco L @decatur555 Aug 5, 2026 The Shipping News is a quiet and moving story about a deeply unhappy man trying to begin again with his daughter in a remote coastal community in Newfoundland. Kevin Spacey gives a restrained performance as Quoyle, a shy and awkward character who has spent most of his life believing he does not deserve much. The film takes its time showing how work, family history and the people around him gradually help him find a place in the world. Judi Dench, Julianne Moore, Scott Glenn and Rhys Ifans add warmth, humor and complexity, while the landscape becomes almost another character. It is slow and some storylines feel less developed than others, but I found its characters well written and its emotional tone sincere. A sensitive film about starting over without pretending the past can simply disappear. See more thiago S @Thiagostone Mar 26, 2026 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Mireille T @RT34033469 Aug 25, 2025 Great little atmospheric ,slice of life,movie. All actors were excellent,especially Kevin Spacey with is touchable sensitivity.Slow well acted film with Newfoundland as its background with its dark tempetuous nature. It reminded me how very beautifull that part of the world and its people ,are. Loved it. See more X O @RT27220563 Jun 11, 2023 I remember the book in the 90s. 35 years later I am watching the film. It can ruin it for you ... Spacey can't play dumb even if he tried. Blame it on Se7en, The Usual Suspects, and American Beauty, but he's not even even floundering or that gawky like he is playing someone who is dimwitted. Not the right speech syntax. Also, who fixes ropes WITHOUT GLOVES IN WINTER!? Also walking into an abandoned house without a chill? And the musical score is vapid. What the film grossly lacks is how Annie Proulx writes. Short sentences. Full stops. So hard to pull off, and she does. The film can't show this. She is giving the SOUND of living in bitterly cold weather. So impressive. Read the book. Forget the film. See more @RT33275295 Mar 3, 2023 Obviously I am wired differently than most people, because I find it a very good movie. First of all the music is gorgeous and so well integrated in the film that it is almost part of the images. Casting is spot on. Acting could not have been better. Scenario is refreshingly out of the ordinary. Cinematography is unsurpassed. See more dave s @RT68722908 Nov 7, 2022 While it tends to take some minor liberties with Annie Proulx' novel, Lasse Hallstrom's The Shipping News is certainly faithful in spirit to the source material. With his world falling apart in upstate New York, Quayle (Kevin Spacey) escapes to a small fishing village in Newfoundland, where he is able to touch base with his fragile roots and learn the meanings of friendship and family. The whole thing feels insanely predictable throughout as it becomes evident early on that Quayle, a simpering doormat from the start, will find his true calling (and maybe even love) in the harsh new environment. Despite this, it's got a fantastic cast (Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and more), stunning cinematography that captures the rugged landscape, and a subtle but effective score. See more Read all reviews

The Shipping News

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING