A decent action movie but do not expect to see "a true story"

Rating: 7/10 (16 February 2016)

I was keen for this movie when I saw the trailers some time ago, as were my kids. At the time, I totally missed that it was "based upon a true story." A few days before seeing the film, I got a hold of the book and was thrilled to learn that it was an actual event and what's more, the anniversary of when it happened was in just a few days, February, 18th! Well, I challenged my kids to finish the book and I'd take them to see the movie. We all read it and were completely bowled over by the book and were eager to see the film.
The film is well worth seeing. It's a ripping action film. The action sequences and suspense are riveting. The seas and storm, while not nearly as impressive as the actual event are impressively done. The acting was superb, though the characterizations were positively rotten. Chris Pine, Holiday Grainger, Casey Affleck and the rest were a joy to watch, not one bad performance.
Though the performances were entertaining, the characterizations were not. The screenplay diverges wildly from the reality and that's a shame. Bernie Webber/Chris Pine was not riddled with self- doubt and ambivalence, nor was he ridiculed or held in low esteem by his co-workers and neighbors. Miriam/Holiday Grainger and he were married before the events took place and she was home in bed sick through out the entire event so had no role whatsoever. Grainger's character and scenes are whole-cloth and the character's behavior while quite believable in today's world would have been unheard of in 1952.
Other reviewers have opined about why this or that happened, why a particular decision was made instead of doing something else. The staging of the story, as written for the screenplay creates quite a bit of confusion, whereas the reality of the situations really left no viable alternatives. Bernie Webber made the best decisions he could have made under the circumstances. Chris Pine's character got dragged along by the storm surge.
As an aside, I think this movie showcases the disregard Hollywood holds for it's audience. Hollywood seems to think we are unable to grasp complex ideas so they feed us flashy special effects instead of solid stories. It is really a shame, especially in regards to a story like this where the heroes are real and we really need heroes.
The heroism of the "coasties" shines in this story but not as brightly in this movie. I strongly urge anyone inspired by this film to read the book and I would recommend the film to anyone who enjoys man-against-the-elements adventures.