CG-36500, the 36 foot, wooden lifeboat featured in the movie "The Finest Hours," didn't capsize. Its captain, Bernie Webber, and three crewmen weathered 40 to 60 foot waves to reach the SS Pendleton and save 32 men from the split tanker during a nor'easter. Why, then, has the film made only 37 million dollars so far? Marketing!
To encapsulate my review, "The Finest Hours" delivers as a remarkable adventure with suspense and moving performances; a wonderful yarn few have seen.
The initial trailer essentially had "tanked" the movie. Only when the second trailer was introduced, emphasizing the action, did the film gain momentum, though too late. The remarkable story had every opportunity to grab potential moviegoer's hearts and at least break even, but it did not.
Knitpicking about the waves being too high (huh?!) as one uninformed critic noted or the film too long (I agree) shouldn't have stopped moviegoers from seeing "The Finest Hours." No, Disney sabotaged the movie from the start by initially deciding to release it in December 2015. What?! We, those of us who follow film, gasped knowing that "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" would open that month. Realizing their error, the producers moved "The Finest Hours'" release date to January 29, 2016. What I call the" winter doldrums" of movie-going.
Wisened trend-followers would assume that Disney didn't expect the movie to do well; therefore, the producers selected a period after the excitement of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" had lessened. Also, they marketed the film to attract an older generation instead of seeing a universal story that would capture worldwide attention. In fact, "The Finest Hours" featured mostly younger actors unknown to many baby-boomers, with the possible exception of Chris Pine and Casey Affleck.
Spike Lee, on CBS This Morning, noted how producers would make much more money if they marketed (and made) movies which appeal to wider audiences. "The Finest Hours'" cast reflects the real crew of the USS Pendleton, multicultural sans women. Women do have important roles in the story, however. We live in a global community. It's time that the studios get their "heads" out of the sand and join the real world.
http://movies.disney.com/the-finest-hours
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