Big Miracle

Year:

2012

Duration:

107 min

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

IMDB rate:

6.5

Director:

Ken Kwapis

Awards:

1 nomination

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 2012-02-03

Filming Locations: Alaska SeaLife Center - 301 Railway Ave, Seward, Alaska, USA

Earnings

Budget: $40,000,000

Opening Weekend: $7,760,205 (USA) (5 February 2012)

Gross: $19,966,230 (USA) (25 March 2012)

Cast

Actor

Character

Drew Barrymore

Big Miracle

John Pingayak

Malik

Ahmaogak Sweeney

Nathan

John Chase

Roy

Ishmael Angalook Hope

Bud

Othniel 'Anaqulutuq' Oomittuk Jr.

Inupiat Whaler

John Krasinski

Adam Carlson

Andrew Daly

Don Davis

Thomas R. Daly

Frank

Maliaq Kairaiuak

Dana

Jeffrey Evan

Arnold

Ted Danson

J. W. McGraw

Randy Eledge

Oil Man

Thom Van Dorp

Don Carr

Tim Blake Nelson

Pat Lafaytette

Stephen Root

Governor Haskell

Maury Ginsberg

News Producer #1

Kelly Lee Williams

News Producer #2

Megan Baldino

News Producer #3

Kristen Bell

Jill Jerard

Kathy Baker

Ruth McGraw

Vinessa Shaw

Kelly Meyers

Maeve Blake

Shayna Dobler

Krista Schwarting

Diane Dobler

Liam Boles

Cooper Dobler

Opal Sidon

Darcy

Michael Gaston

Porter Beckford

Ken Smith

Stu

Tim Palmer

Lloyd Dobler

Wayne Mitchell

News Producer #4

John Michael Higgins

Wes Handrick

Dermot Mulroney

Colonel Scott Boyer

Gregory Jbara

General Stanton

Princess Lucaj

Hotel Clerk #1

Jason Arthur Martin

Rich

Jessica Tiihonen

Prudhoe Bay Reporter #1

Bruce Altman

Chief of Staff

Anthony Fryer

National Guard Co-Pilot

Brady Ingledue

Alaskan Northern Oil Worker

James Le Gros

Karl Hootkin

Rob Riggle

Dean Glowacki

Hillarie Putnam

Minneapolis Reporter

Mary Rock

Hotel Clerk #2

Brett Baker

Barrow Street Reporter

Shea Whigham

SAR Pilot Conrad

Kathryn Harris

Teacher

Christine Kim

Prudhoe Bay Reporter #2

R.F. Daley

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Stefan Kapicic

Yuri

Jackie Purcell

Icebreaker Reporter

Mark Ivanir

Dimitri

Quinn K. Redeker

President Reagan

Elizabeth A. Bardsley

Foreign Reporter #1

Anju Bhargava

Foreign Reporter #2

Robertus A. Schaaper

Foreign Reporter #3

Michael Miller

Russian #1

Andrey Nikolaev

Russian #2

Sarah Palin

Herself

Teresa Pingayak

Malik's Wife

Robert Forgit

Prudhoe Bay Reporter #3

Jeff Bergman

Ronald Reagan

Carla Delaney

News Anchor (voice)

Paul Kirby

News Anchor (voice)

Evgueni Petrov

Russian #3

Anastasia Roark

News Reporter (voice)

Karen Strassman

Various Voices (voice)

Kevin T. Bennett

Reporter (uncredited)

Stacy Boles

Background Reporter (uncredited)

Tom Brokaw

Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Connie Chung

Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Karl Glick

On-Camera Journalist

Peter Jennings

Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Gloria King

Scientist

Dan Rather

Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Leif Sawyer

Extra - Minneapolis News Crew (uncredited)

David Thomas

Inupiaq Male on Ice (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

One of the reporters shown in the movie is played by Jackie Purcell, real-life chief meteorologist for KTUU-NBC Channel 2 in Anchorage, Alaska - the station for which Adam Carlson, John Krasinski's character, works in the film.

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The character Governor Haskell was named Steve Cowper in real life. Kelly Meyers was really Bonnie Mersinger.

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Much of the footage for the film was shot in and around Anchorage, Alaska. The ice scenes were filmed at Beluga Point south of Anchorage, and several scenes which in the film took place in California were actually shot on location in the Turnagain neighborhood in west Anchorage: plants native to Southern California were used to dress the houses in those scenes. Real Alaska National Guardsmen were used to play the Guardsmen in the film.

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Goofs

When the Green Peace activist dives under the ice in a wetsuit, she has red thermal gloves on. While submerged and using her knife to cut away the net on the baby whale's fluke, her bare hands are visible. When she surfaces, the red gloves are back on again.

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Throughout the film, nobody's breath appears when they are outdoors, especially given the frigid temperatures that they were reporting.

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Ice does not form vertical underwater walls. Ice floats.

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Quotes

Jill Jerard: [Doing a news report on the ice] Cut! God, my feet are numb. These boots are useless.

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Adam Carlson: [Adam sits down across from Jill at a restaurant; looks at the menu] I usually get the breakfast burrito, which is fantastic... but the pile o' pancakes with a side of ham steak is tempting. What do you think I should get?

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Adam Carlson: I think Barrow might have one great story left in her.

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Faq

Q

Did they use real whales in this film?

A

No, the Auckland workshops of Glasshammer Visual Effects designed and built a trio of California gray whale puppets that the screenwriters had christened Fred, Wilma and Bamm-Bamm. The whales had a finished look that was as close as possible to the actual 1988 whales, complete with barnacles, scars and more.

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