Message in a Bottle

Message In A Bottle is a witty coming of age film with a riveting cast. The woodland scenery and ambiguous time frame added a great artistic touch.The emotional twists and turns held my attention from beginning to end. A new age Stand By Me this film is a must see. I look forward to seeing more from the director,cast,and crew. I give Message In A Bottle two thumbs up.

Coming of age story, yes. Predictable and cliched, absolutely not. I'm amazed that director Rhonda Parker has gotten such solid performances from such a young cast. They deliver a range, depth and wisdom I would never expect. At it's heart, Message In A Bottle is an adventure tale about a trio of teenagers following a disturbing, well, message they found in a bottle in a river in the woods. Along the way they challenge their identities, their relationships with each other and their place in the world. The dialogue is sharp and clever, something I've come to expect from Parker's films. She's grown as a director, too. 'Friends Don't Let Friends Date Friends' had the raw charm and charisma that only a first film could, and 'Lonely Bananas' had the fun and verve of an ad-libbed ensemble comedy that would make Robert Altman proud. She gets better every time she goes back to the drawing board. The cinematography in 'Message' is on par with a Hollywood independent film in spite of it's microbudget. The lighting, sound and soundtrack round out and complement a strong vision well executed. It's entertaining, thought-provoking and also heart-breaking at times. Grown-ups don't have it together any more than teenagers or kids, do. 'Message In A Bottle' is smart enough to accept that. Worth watching and highly recommended.

Rhonda Parker's 2nd film showcases a quantum leap forward for the indie director/writer. An enjoyable romp that spends 2/3rds of the film with our cast as kids, Message in a Bottle sets up an emotionally harrowing payoff in the final frame of the film. Acting is top-notch and genuinely entertaining. Perhaps the best choice made by the filmmaker was the inclusion of excellent music throughout. Recommended.

My family loved this movie. Story line was engaging and moved along. Child actors were excellent. Music throughout movie evoked sincere emotion; we laughed, we REALLY cried. And we own a copy to watch over and over! Kudos to the cast and crew - so proud of movie making in upstate New York!!

I really enjoyed it. One moment you are laughing and in other moments you are crying or feeling bad or angry. It plays with your emotions and keeps your attention throughout the entire movie. There were many twists and turns along the way that you couldn't see coming. I also think that many people can relate to the issues facing the characters in the film. I say go watch it!!! You won't be sorry.