Movie review: The Finest Hours

Rachel Ferrari

BY RACHEL FERRARI

Copy Chief

The Finest Hours, starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck, follows the riveting true story of a U.S. Coast Guard rescue off the coast of Massachusetts in 1952. In the movie, an oil tanker breaks up during a nor’easter and Coast Guardsman Bernie Webber (Pine) is dispatched to help. After being sent out in the tiniest boat possible and then losing his compass, he is told to abandon the mission and return to shore, dooming the sinking ship and its crew. Instead, he carries on blindly, determined to find and save the men. It’s a story that should be as famous as that of the Titanic, complete with sappy romance, sea disaster, and stunning visual effects. The movie has a very fast pace, so once the excitement begins, it never ends. That being said, the Disney influence on the film is very noticeable, and it paints a picture of the 1950s that is almost too perfect and sweet to believe.