Ken Kwapis

Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, the rescue adventure Big Miracle tells the amazing tale of a small town news reporter (John Krasinski) and an animal-loving volunteer (Drew Barrymore) who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.

Adapted from Behrendt and Tuccillo`s best selling book of the same name, the movie focuses on the gap between couples and lack of communication that often leads to misunderstandings in a relationship. A thirty-something woman pursues a columnist after a string of failed relationships to discover a lot more than she imagined.

An engaged young couple finds their lifetime of happiness unexpectedly compromised by a pushy minister who insists they successfully complete his comprehensive marriage-prep course before exchanging wedding vows in a matrimonial comedy starring John Krasinski, Mandy Moore, and Robin Williams.

The movie follows four teenage girls during a summer in which each goes through a crucial life experience. They succeed due to their loyal support of each other, symbolized by a pair of jeans (the "Travelling Pants") that they take turns wearing. Shy Lena visits European relatives on an picturesque Greek island. She falls in love with a sensitive boy in spite of the fact that their families are having an old-fashioned feud. She learns to assert herself and finally wins the family's permission for a final meeting with her lover. Brash Bridget, an athlete, goes to sports camp and is attracted to one of the coaches. He returns her love but is more concerned with keeping his job, which he will lose if they are caught. Bridget pursues him anyway and persuades him to make love to her on a beach. He panics and breaks off the relationship, and she realizes that she has thrown away her virginity for nothing (The sexual contact is off-screen and implied, rather than stated as a fact.). Tibby, a sour-tempered girl, decides to make a "suckumentary" with her video tools, expressing her view of the world. During the summer she befriends Bailey, a girl who turns out to be dying from leukemia. After Bailey's death, Tibby is as bitter at life as ever, but discovers that Bailey left behind a video message, thanking Tibby for her friendship and urging her not to let Bailey's tragedy blight her life. Carmen, an emotional girl with low self-esteem, visits her estranged father and discovers that he is marrying a divorcee with teenagers of her own. Although they are blandly polite, Carmen feels like an outsider and suspects that they resent her "intrusion", and so she finally turns home. The Sisterhood urge her to attend the wedding anyway, loaning her the "magic" jeans and coming along for moral support. Her father spots her in the audience and invites her to stand with him at the altar as he marries, and she feels accepted after all.

A prince awakens a princess with a kiss, though she rejects his romantic advances (as she argues that she hasn't even been engaged yet and has missed the entire courtship period) and runs away. The princess says that she has ambition and drive. An American beautician named Joy Miller (Fran Drescher) does odd jobs in the TV industry, performing hair and makeup duties on the Lotto girl before she goes on air for her brief appearance. Joy lives with her parents Jerry (Michael Lerner) and Judy (Phyllis Newman). Judy asks Joy to settle in life and not keeping waiting endlessly for her to fulfill her ambition. Joy is adamant that she will not marry until she meets the right guy. Joy teaches students at a night beauty school (to supplement her income) to groom hair but is put out of business when one of her students accidentally ignites hair spray with his cigarette, eventually leading to the school burning down. Joy ends up being highlighted in a newspaper New York Post article after she helps her students, and the caged animals escape the building successfully. Joy had made several trips inside a burning building, but made sure that she rescues all the animals, including a python that she takes in her handbag. The article is seen by Ira Grushinsky (Ian McNeice), a diplomatic representative of a small Eastern European country called Slovetzia (bordered by Hungary, Romania, and Ukraine), a country she never heard of. Ira has been sent to the United States to find a tutor for the Four children of Slovetzia's President, and, mistakenly thinking that Joy is an academic teacher, offers the job to her. However, she misinterprets his job offer as teaching hair-styling. Although she has never heard of the country, she accepts the job despite her initial hesitation. Ira says that the job pays $40,000 per year. It is only after they arrive in Slovetzia that Ira realizes his error. Ira thought that Joy was a science teacher, and she says that she didn't even pass science in school. By then it is too late, and Joy agrees to keep up the ruse of being a "real" teacher for the time being. The initial meeting of Joy with the President, a dictator named Boris Pochenko (Timothy Dalton), gets off on the wrong foot. Boris prepares a full military guard to welcome Joy, but she ends up being late for the appointment as she was still busy putting on make-up. Boris warns Joy not to take her job lightly. He wants her to prepare his kids to face the western world and wants Joy to be prompt and efficient. Joy gets along well with his four children Katrina (Lisa Jakub), Karl (Adam LaVorgna), Yuri (Kyle and Tyler Wilkerson) and Masha (Heather DeLoach). Karl is very uptight, like his father, and wants Joy to teach him about the decadent American ways. Katrina is warm and inviting and is open to new ideas and thoughts. Joy teaches them of life outside Slovetzia (like the concept of Democracy, frequent flier miles, risk of cancer due to sun exposure) and helps them gain confidence in themselves. Joy encourages Karl to pursue his dream of becoming an artist, who feels pressured to be more like his father. Katrina tells Joy that all she wants to have is sex (her concept of sex is holding hands and eating ice cream), and wants to date a boy. Katrina says that her marriage is already confirmed to a prince, as per Boris' wishes. Joy encourages Katrina to speak to Boris directly, but he is enraged instead. Boris is adamant that Katrina will have an arranged marriage, as is the custom of their society. Joy frequently clashes with Pochenko, who is disturbed by her fierce independence and the fact that he cannot frighten her. Joy tells Boris that he is only ruling his children by fear and that he needs to earn their respect. Joy's presence in Slovetzia is due to Pochenko's desire to change his reputation among other Western nations as a "beast". His second-in-command, Leonid Kleist (Patrick Malahide) is against Pochenko's "softening" strategy and wants to crush the growing rebellion among Slovetzia's youth. Joy eventually learns that Katrina is in love with Alek (Timothy Dowling), one of the leaders of the youth rebellion. Joy finds Katrina outside the castle, and she takes Joy to a hidden nightclub, where she meets Alex. Unfortunately, Katrina is followed by the castle guards and Alek is captured by Pochenko. Joy secretly helps Katrina sneak to his cell to see him. A summit of visiting emissaries is arriving in Slovetzia to meet with Pochenko, and Joy convinces him that the best way to prove that he is a modern-thinking man would be to throw a party for visiting emissaries during a summit meeting to debut his new image. She encourages him to form closer relationships with his citizens and shaves his mustache. During a trip to a factory, Joy realizes that Slovetzia lacks trade unions and encourages the workers to hold a strike. Joy is put in charge of preparations, and during this time she and Pochenko grow closer. As part of the summit, Boris considers releasing Alek despite Leonid's disapproval. On the evening of the dinner, Joy confesses that she is not an academic teacher, but by this time Pochenko does not care about her credentials, only that she has brought happiness to him and his family. Later, Leonid confronts Joy with the fact that she has been helping Katrina meet Alek. When this information is brought to Pochenko, he argues with Joy on her meddling. Following Boris' decision to keep Alek in jail, Joy informs him that she had set up meetings between Alek and Katrina; he argues with Joy over her meddling in Slovetzia's political affairs. Joy decides to leave Slovetzia for good. Some months pass. Leonid has quietly taken over administrative duties and signing sentences in Pochenko's name. Pochenko, made aware of this fact by Ira, confronts Leonid and strips him of his duties. Pochenko realizes that he has spent many months depressed and discontent after Joy's leaving and decides that it is time to change his ways. Joy is back at home with her parents. She has also been depressed after leaving Slovetzia, but then receives a surprise visit by Pochenko. Boris informs her that he has freed Alek and agreed to hold free elections in Slovetzia. Boris kisses Joy after admitting his feelings for her.

The tumultuous relationship between the co-hosts of a morning news segment is explored from the point of view of both the man and the woman. Dan and Lorie are journalists working in the same office. More often than not they have opposing view of the issue in question. Deciding that this is hot stuff, a television producer gives them their own program (called "He Said, She Said") where they can give their opposing views on various issues. As they work together and get to know one another, the events that occur in their lives are replayed in the film twice; once from each's perspective. —Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au> The wolf journalist Dan Hanson is disputing a column in the newspaper Baltimore with his colleague Lorie Bryer. The editors decide to divide the column between them increasing their rivalry. They are invited by the television producer Wally Thurman to have their own show called "He Said, She Said", where they present opposing opinions in different subjects. Meanwhile they fall in love for each other and decide to live together. Three years later, Lorie wishes to marry Dan that refuses and they have a discussion and Lorie throws her cup on his forehead. When they tell their story to their friends, each one tells it in a different perspective. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The wolf journalist Dan Hanson is disputing a column in the newspaper Baltimore with his colleague Lorie Bryer. The editors decide to divide the column between them increasing their rivalry. They are invited by the television producer Wally Thurman to have their own show called "He Said, She Said", where they present opposing opinions in different subjects. Meanwhile they fall in love for each other and decide to live together. Three years later, Lorie wishes to marry Dan that refuses and they have a discussion and Lorie throws her mug on his forehead. When they tell their story to their friends, each one tells it in a different perspective. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Womanising, right-wing Dan Hanson and quiet, liberal Lorie Bryer work for the Baltimore Sun. Rivals for the job of new writer of a vacant column, the paper ends up instead printing their very different opinions alongside each other, which leads to a similarly combative local TV show. At the same time their initial indifference to each other looks like it may evolve into something more romantic. If only they can agree. —Jeremy Perkins {J-26}