Big Miracle ***½ (PG)

Mark Glass | Feb 2, 2012, 2:07 p.m.

Big Miracle

In lesser hands than those of director Ken Kwapis (Belleville native, but we’re not “homering” here), this fact-based dramatization of the 1988 rescue attempt for three whales stranded under northern Alaskan ice in an early winter freeze, could easily have turned into mush. Instead, it’s a family-friendly film, with a near-perfect balance of the social, political and cultural issues with engaging personal stories. John Krasinski is an aspiring local TV newsman who accidentally stumbles across the whales’ plight. His clip winds up on national TV, starting a media frenzy in a remote fishing village that had never seen such activity.

On the macro side, the local economy had been based on centuries of whaling, but had no resources to break the five miles of ice between the captives and open waters. National politics and Cold War relations in a presidential election year all became factors in what to do, and who would become involved. Drew Barrymore stars as a Greenpeace activist, who pushed all the buttons necessary to coax or coerce help from Alaska’s National Guard, a big oil exec (Ted Danson, playing far against type) who had just secured lucrative drilling rights, and even a reluctant White House.

On the intimate side, Krasinski and Barrymore’s characters had been a couple before this started; he’s hoping this story will propel him to bigger markets, but having to juggle his ambition with a growing sense of empathy with the indigenous populace and their way of life, as a few other subplots chug along, involving Rob Riggle, Dermot Mulroney and others among a solid supporting cast.

Thankfully, the true tale this film chronicles was more complicated than a purely fictional Hollywood product would have been. That also helps maintain the multiple levels of dramatic tension, while still delivering a satisfying finale. Respect for the subject is further illustrated by juxtaposing footage from the actual participants with the actors playing them during the credits. (2/3/12)