Big Miracle

Big Miracle

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2012
Founder	Ken Kwapis (director)
Products	Drama film

Big Miracle, initially named Everybody Loves Whales', is a 2012 drama film directed by Ken Kwapis and featuring performances by Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. The movie adapts Tom Rose's 1989 book Big Miracle (first published as Freeing the Whales), which recounts Operation Breakthrough, the 1988 multinational mission to free gray whales trapped in ice near Point Barrow, Alaska.

Plot

Set in Alaska during 1988, reporter Adam Carlson enlists the help of his former partner Rachel, a dedicated Greenpeace volunteer, to spearhead an initiative aimed at rescuing three gray whales caught in Arctic ice. Adam affectionately names the whales Fred, Wilma, and Bamm-Bamm.

The rescue mobilizes a wide array of participants: Inupiat whalers, environmental advocates, an oil company executive, driven journalists, the National Guard, the U.S. president, and politicians across different levels of government. Two businessmen from Minnesota provide de-icing equipment to keep a hole open in the ice.

A Soviet icebreaker arrives on scene but initially only manages to crack the ice slightly. Eventually, the ice is fully broken, enabling Fred and Wilma to swim free; sadly, Bamm-Bamm succumbs to injuries sustained.

The closing segment details the aftermath for principal figures: McGraw uses his elevated profile to obtain a contract for Exxon Valdez cleanup; Karl and Dean’s de-icing machines gain regional recognition; Scott and Kelly marry; Jill advances her career to national news; Greenpeace experiences membership growth; Adam and Rachel reconcile their relationship; and Nathan reflects on how the rescue fostered international cooperation.

Cast

• John Krasinski portrays Adam Carlson, a character inspired by Oran Caudle, Director of the North Slope Borough TV Studio
• Drew Barrymore plays Rachel Kramer, based on Greenpeace activist Cindy Lowry
• Ahmaogak Sweeney appears as Nathan, Inupiat grandson to Malik and also serves as narrator
• John Pingayak as Malik, an Inupiat whaler
• Kristen Bell as Jill Gerard, a news journalist
• Vinessa Shaw as Kelly Meyers, inspired by Bonnie Carroll
• Stephen Root as Governor Haskell
• Ted Danson as J.W. McGraw
• Kathy Baker as Ruth McGraw
• Dermot Mulroney as Colonel Scott Boyer, based on General Tom Carroll
• Rob Riggle as Dean Glowacki
• Michael Gaston as Porter Beckford
• Ken Smith as Stu
• Megan Angela Smith as Sheena
• Tim Blake Nelson as Pat Lafayette
• James LeGros as Karl Hootkin
• Mark Ivanir as Dimitri
• Stefan Kapičić as Yuri
• Andrew Daly as Don Davis
• Jonathan Slavin as Roger Notch
• Gregory Jbara as General Stanton
• John Michael Higgins as Wes Handrick
• Archive footage features Sarah Heath

Production

In April 2009, Warner Bros. secured the screenplay written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler, with Ken Kwapis confirmed to direct by June. Filming commenced in September 2010 in Seward, Alaska, supported by a budget estimated between $30 and $40 million. Sets replicating Utqiagvik were constructed in Anchorage, with production spanning ten weeks. The initial working title was Everybody Loves Whales, a phrase retained within the final film. Visual effects were delivered by Rhythm and Hues Studios alongside Modus FX. The Motion Picture Association of America assigned a PG rating due to language content. Promotional efforts included a partnership featuring toys from Burger King.

The movie showcases a red-and-black Soviet icebreaker designed after the larger nuclear-powered Arktika-class ships rather than the diesel-electric Admiral Makarov that participated in the actual event. Footage includes the 2007 vessel 50 Let Pobedy, with its polar bear emblem visible while its name and atomic symbol were digitally removed.

Reception

According to the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a 74% approval rating based on 104 critic evaluations, with the general consensus describing it as a "surprisingly gratifying family drama inspired by true events." On Metacritic, it has achieved a score of 61 out of 100, derived from 28 critic reviews.

During its opening day in the US and Canadian markets, the film earned $2,267,385, securing the fourth position behind Chronicle, The Woman in Black, and The Grey. Over its first weekend, it generated $7,760,205 while maintaining the same ranking. In its second weekend, the movie fell to eighth place with earnings of $3,946,050. The theatrical run concluded on April 5, 2012, with a total global box office revenue of $24,719,215.