THE PERFECT STORM (2000) *** I'm not sure which is more impressive: the way that Wolfgang Petersen manages to shoot absolutely impossible scenes (computer graphics or not), or the way he catches blue collar camaraderie. Both are tremendous. I mean, I've never been a Gloucester fisherman, but I've hung out, and these guys are real. Even though we know that they're articulate and sophisticated in real life, George Clooney and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio are entirely convincing representations of the other end of the educational spectrum, not least because they are articulate. That's right, profound insights and the ability to translate them into common words and symbols don't exclusively come from textbooks. So, if you're not getting 'em anywhere else, find a nice street corner, or fishing boat, for a few hours. It's also fair to point out that the script plays to the actors' greatest strengths: George gets to be the bearded but sensitive alpha male ringleader of an impressive group of men, none of whom appear to be testosterone deficient; and Mary Elizabeth gets to make a climactic speech with tears running down her face. Don't laugh, those aren't easy things to do. Just think if they'd tried to put Jim Carrey in charge of Clooney's posse, or set up Britney Spears to make the big tearjerker. So it helps that it all feels and looks right, it sets you up that it's based on real life, the music is of epic pomposity and goes enough stylish and interesting places to back it up, and Petersen maintains a pace without getting in the way much. The result is that it's not a passive film to watch, at all. Some may eventually tire of seeing Clooney get hit in the face with hamlets of ocean, and more will be appalled to some degree at the overt solicitations of the wing of the romance novel set that need everything that Diane Lane's feeling spelled out for them ("Oh, she's sad that he's gone...", and why's she falling in and out of that townie accent, she ain't on a boat that's rockin'). Most of us will see a lot of occupations that we're happy not to participate in, and maybe be more appreciative of those that do (hurricane helicopter rescue refueling unit!).
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