Review by td444

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.