Intertribal Life Newspaper -

Photo: 200movies1woman.com

Big Miracle is every bit the Animal Planetesque “Free Willy” knockoff it sounds like; this is a heartwarming tale of a community coming together to save the whales, and if you can get through it without your heart being warmed, you’re colder and more cynical than I am (and I’m a movie critic, so that’s unlikely). Everyone involved is playing an angle; the only person operating out of pure idealism and the, ahem, kindness of her heart is Barrymore’s Greenpeace activist, who is far and away the most annoying person in the film; she’s preachy and self-righteous and hates everyone but the whales. It’s a well-made movie, but even after two viewings, I’m not sure what I think of it.