"The Shipping News" has all the ingredients for a successful big-screen adaptation of a popular novel: a director, Lasse Hallstrm, who has experience in adapting works of literature to film -- including 1999's "Cider House Rules" and 2000's "Chocolat"-- and world-renowned stars such as Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench.
However, this movie can only be classified as an underachieving disappointment that falls short of the lofty standards set by the book.
The film centers around a meek newspaper ink-setter named Quoyle (Spacey) whose rebellious wife (Blanchett) leaves him and, before killing herself in a car accident, attempts to sell the couple's daughter to a black-market adoption agency.
Adding to his troubles, Quoyle's parents pass away.
Upon hearing of their death, Quoyle's long-lost aunt Agnis (Judi Dench) arrives. Agnis is on her way to Newfoundland, the place of her birth and the former home of Quoyle's kin. Desperately needing a change of scenery, Quoyle and his daughter pack up and depart for Newfoundland along with Agnis.
While in the small town, Quoyle -- with no journalistic experience to speak of -- becomes a columnist for the village's newspaper, The Gammy Bird, and begins dating Wavey (Moore), whose husband perished in a drowning accident.
Quoyle eventually adapts to life on the snow-covered island and its often quirky inhabitants, while also gaining personal strength and self-confidence.
The pace and structure of the film are central problems, as Hallstrom's adaptation feels haphazard on screen. The first part of the film exists as a constant string of events that show Quoyle as a pathetic, vulnerable man, starting with his father's abuse and ending with the pitiful state of his marriage and life prior to his move.
Then, with the shift of setting to Newfoundland, the story takes on a more lively tone but begins to indiscriminately pick up many different strands of the plot, only to abandon them without warning.
The movie concludes with an almost overwhelming sequence of revelations, flashbacks and plot twists that only clutter the already over-saturated storyline.
Hallstrm can't decide which bits of plot he wishes to emphasize, as elements like a seemingly integral oil-tanker dispute go undeveloped, and other motifs, such as Quoyle's daughter's strange psychic relationship with their Newfoundland house, remain confusing and unexplained.
Even with these organizational problems, the movie is not all bad, thanks in large part to some capable acting. Dench pulls off a typically solid performance in her role as a tough, grizzled matriarch, and Moore is pleasant as Quoyle's love interest.
Spacey's lead performance is utterly minimalist, as he spends much of the movie trudging around in an inhuman portrayal of timidity and vulnerability. Generally, he pulls it off well, though his complete glumness makes the movie into a downer.
Another positive feature of the movie is the beautiful use of the Newfoundland backdrop. Cinematographer Oliver Stapleton effectively utilizes the natural beauty of the quaint village and its surroundings.
The eccentric band of townspeople also provide much-appreciated spells of light-heartedness and help the movie illustrate the development of Quoyle into a self-assured character.
But Hallstrm probes unnecessarily into the depths of their history and psyche in another example of unneeded complexity.
Running at a shade under two hours, it seems that Hallstrom needed at least another half-hour to have a chance at sufficiently fitting the intricate plot into a complete and satisfying work.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning storyline is solid, and there are signs of brilliance in some of the interesting plot turns and character developments, but none of these are able to come to fruition.
