Dove, the

"The Dove" suffers from too much saccharine and not enough vinegar. While the location shooting is superb, the film hardly lives up to it's storyline, downplaying the dangers and the risks of singlehanded sailing in favor of overkill on the romantic side. The actual passage becomes a pseudodocumentary, mostly lacking in drama, and secondary to the love story. The Grahams'(Robin Lee and Patti's) love story as shown is sickeningly sweet.

The movie is not helped by the fact that neither Bottoms nor Raffin can act their way out of a paper bag. They are saddled with a poor script and truly maudlin dialogue. Rather than being a theatrical release the film has an "Afterschool Special" feel to it.

Despite it's drawbacks, it is well worth watching if you are (1) a sailing fanatic who can't get enough of boats, (2) stuck inside the house on a rainy day (with or without the kids) with nothing much to do, and (3) a reader of DOVE who is familiar with the story.

THE DOVE is harmless, enjoyable fluff.


The dove falls short   January 7, 2000
R. D. Hill (Seattle WA)
Sadly disapointing. I have often seen this movie compared to the movie Wind; but, it doesn't even come close. The off-shore storm sailing scenes look really fake, and the dialogue and soundtrack are terrible. The only thing similar to Wind (a movie I love) is the weak love story. Save your money and rent this one first.