White Squall 1996

Janet Maslin, New York Times: Despite great scenery, the distinctive visual ideas of Mr. Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) and the strong dramatic presence of Mr. Bridges, most of White Squall remains listless and tame. Read more

Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times: The 20 or so minutes we spend with the Albatross in the squall is high adventure, to be sure. Everything else is ballast. Read more

Entertainment Weekly: This rousing salute to the power of the elements, the lost innocence of the Kennedy era, and the goodness of young men when they are allowed to ripen with their shirts off is, above all, a tone poem. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: This film offers just about everything, including a twenty-minute white-knuckle sequence and a chance to shed a few tears. In short, it's first-rate entertainment. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: I enjoyed the movie for the sheer physical exuberance of its adventure. Read more

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: Typically, Bridges gives a deftly understated performance uncluttered by vanity or shallow pathos. No wonder he's not a star. Read more

Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle: Although only slightly more than two hours, the film seems becalmed for days in what seems a dramatic doldrum. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: This particular landlubber felt like jelly for the rest of the day, notwithstanding the hokey courtroom showdown that closes the picture. Read more

Brian Lowry, Variety: The filmmakers take a rather facile, anachronistic "Oprah"-esque approach toward the boys' feelings about their families and the Skipper's role as a "tough love"-minded surrogate father. Read more

Richard Leiby, Washington Post: The movie's a shipload of coming-of-age blather, supplemented with enough rolling-sea footage to make the audience yearn for both Dramamine and a decent drowning scene. Read more

Kevin McManus, Washington Post: The heavy-handedness of these final scenes will probably ruin the movie for some people, while others will enjoy its earnestness and energy. Count me among the latter group. Read more