Big Miracle

I have to give some credit to NBC Universal. They managed to find a compelling story, old enough that most people won’t remember, but current enough that most people will be engaged. Plus, it appears that they were the lead on the original story and had all the rights and permissions to the archive material. Therefore, using likable modern actors and mixing them with archive footage of the actual event Big Miracle allows us to revisit this issue in a fresh and exciting way. After 40 years, the environment still warrants our attention and Big Miracle is a very entertaining film.

John Krasinski plays Adam Carlson an Anchorage Alaska news reporter who is covering the town of Barrow mining for every bit of newsworthy material he can. After doing a story on the northern most Mexican restaurant in the world Adam is about to be called back home when he discovers a family of California Blue Whales that have been trapped in the ice. Surviving by keeping a small hole open, it is too far for them to swim to the open ocean, so when the temperature drops and the hole ices over, the family of whales will drown.

Adam runs his story, and in a quirk of fate it gets picked up by the network in New York City and soon the story of Wilma, Fred and Bam Bam goes national. People all over the country become engrossed in the plight of the whales and now the entire world is watching. Drew Barrymore who plays Rachel Krammer finds out about the whales on television. As the ex-girlfriend of Adam she is incensed because Adam didn’t tell her directly. Rachel is the northern director of Green Peace and she is determined to find a way to save the whales. Meanwhile Adam is trying to protect the town and its natives. Through his time there he has become very fond of the people and he respects their rights and culture. When the Native Americans consider harvesting the doomed whales it creates an international controversy. At this point all eyes are on Barrow.

Rachel Krammer is a thorn in the side of many politicians and in her quest to save the whales she goes after the governor of Alaska (Stephen Root) and then the owner of an oil company (Ted Danson). What Ted Danson’s character doesn’t know is that his wife has been secretly feeding Green Peace information. (Kathy Baker) wants to save the whales too, and with the information she leaked and by manipulating her husband, she gets him to volunteer his ice crushing ship and putting up all the expenses, if the Coast Guard will agree to help.

Dermont Mulroney plays the Coast Guard officer who has been given this project to manage. He believes that it is a waste of time and expense but he is following orders. But as President Reagan becomes involved in the project it now becomes a matter of national importance. The power of the press and the power of the people are now guiding this venture. These whales have become a symbol.

As the little town of Barrow becomes a media circus and the natives, long forgotten by the world are now front and center Big Miracle covers the environment, Native American rights, life above the Arctic circle, Green Peace and the fate of three whales. The miracle of this film is that it handles everything in a light and family friendly way. Kristen Bell is introduced as a fellow reporter and love interest, Ahmaogak Sweeney plays a local boy who has become like a little brother to Adam and with his grandfather (John Pingayak) becomes our link to the Indian world. And then there is a score of minor characters, like the two brothers from Minnesota who fly to Alaska at their own expense with their de-icing invention. Everybody wants in on the action and everybody wants to save the whales. Big Miracle is an excellent message film and it entertains as it educates.

Rating: First Run An entertaining message film