The Finest Hours (2016)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Old-fashioned to a fault, The Finest Hours will satisfy those seeking a traditional rescue drama - but may leave more adventurous viewers wanting more.
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Cast
as Bernie Webber
as Ray Sybert
as Richard Livesey
as Daniel Cluff
as Tchuda Southerland
as Miriam
as Seaman Wallace Quirey
as Andy Fitzgerald
as Frank Fauteux
as Bea Hansen
as Ervin Maske
as James-
as Sam
as Tiny Myers
as Eldon Hanan
as Mel Gouthro
as Principal Dancer
as Pendleton Crew #3 Whistle Blower
as Carl Nickerson
as Fisherman's Wife
as Pendleton Crew #1
as John Stello
as Dancer
as Driver/Dancer
as Medic
as U.S. Coast Guard
as Fisherman
as Domingo Garcia
as Medic
as Seaman #4
as Wayne Wilson - Hi Hat Dancer
as Local Town Folk #1
as Pendleton Crew #2
as Reporter #2
as Catherine Paine
as Seaman #5
as Seaman #6
as Townie
as Dave Ryder
as Chatham Fisherman
as Bangs Crew Coast Guard
as Pendelton Crew Member #5
as Waiter
as Waiter
as Close Up on the Dock!
as Fisherman
as Townfolk
as Local Townsfolk #2
as Bell Telephone Supervisor
as Party Guest (as Trevor Benoit)
as Featured Dancer
as Eliza (Soda Fountain Waitress)
as Pianist
as Pendelton Crew #6
as Medic
as Dancer
as Paramedic on Dock
as Paramedic on Dock
as Townsfolk #3
as Townsfolk
as Norris-Townsfolk
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Critic Reviews for The Finest Hours
All Critics (180) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (116) | Rotten (64) | DVD (2)
I expected nothing special and wound up being thoroughly exhilarated.
Too few of Hollywood's recent offerings can boast such a simple throughline and know when to wrap it up.
A remarkable tale, confusingly told. Impressive storm sequences and a very good Pine almost save the day.
Maybe it's just the History Channel junkie in me, but I would much rather be seeing a documentary about this mission than a trumped-up drama featuring brand-name actors and CGI squalls.
It feels like a parody of a prestige film, like one of the fake Oscar trailers in "Tropic Thunder."
A straight-up Boys' Own adventure yarn, set sincerely and squarely in early '50s New England but gussied up with plenty of 21st-century StormWave CGI.
Audience Reviews for The Finest Hours
Based on the true story in 1952, The Finest Hours is about a US Coastguard station being deployed in an attempt to save a crew of an oil tanker that has split into two. The genre of biographical disaster movies is slowly becoming more saturated, particularly those with a serious perspective. The difference this time is that Disney has taken charge of the production which meant this film turned out to be an old-fashioned rescue drama that I thought was much needed. Firstly the cast was good, it was varied from veterans such as Eric Bana and Casey Affleck to more mainstream actors including Chris Pine and Ben Foster. Thankfully this film does not thrive of great performances, it is a visual story and director Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) knew this, hence the focus on great weather visuals and the destruction of the oil tanker. Pleasant effects but a few fully rendered human characters did not look great and did take away from the realism slightly. The story was very old-fashioned and I found that refreshing especially in 2016 where films try to be different for the sake of it. At the core, it's all about heroism and braving nature when the odds are against you, essentially human persistence and determination into saving other lives. The production design was great, the period setting of 1952 was well lifted. The beginning was standard character introductions, the middle was the rescue mission and the ending was the attempt at getting back in time. All of this being intertwined with a love story. That is where the problem lies, it is very mechanical and predictable. We have probably come to expect this from a Disney production but whilst I personally felt this was a good choice, some might be left wanting more. I mean it is nothing new, it's just a standard rescue story yet it's handled with such care that it is hard not to appreciate. The soundtrack was also well integrated, very traditional and reminded me of films from the 80's and 90's. The credits was a noteworthy part of the film in the fact that they show the photos of the crew and the coastguard station from 1952, definitely brings the additional realism that the film requires. Overall, The Finest Hours was a fine rescue drama with great visuals and a hearty story about heroism, although the old-fashioned pacing may leave viewers wanting more. - Review at: http://www.themoviediorama.com
Super Reviewer
Despite great special effects, the script is a wreck and the talented cast give completely underwhelming performances. Drowning in silly Disney naivety and sentimentality, this project should have been scuttled before it ran aground on the big screen.
Super Reviewer
Everyone does their best "quiet and unassuming" in this Disney heroic family paean to whitebread. Within those limits, and using that crazy CGI tech to simulate kra-kra-crazy waterworks, a simple story, simply told. Nothing offensive here (excepting the idea of hiding in plain sight that yer being offensive), move along, move along. I enjoyed the actors, especially Bana, working their accents.
Super Reviewer
The Finest Hours Quotes
| Ervin Maske: | Please tell me that's just the boat we're taking to a bigger boat. |
| Bernie Webber: | In the coast guard they say you go out, they don't say you gotta come back. |
| Bernie Webber: | Why'd you wait so long before saying yes to a date? |