A decidedly mixed bag of a movie

Rating: 6/10 (25 November 2019)

Some mild spoilers.
I grew up on the east coast, and I know a little about the crazy storms there; I also am a sailor, and have had my share of vomit inducing rough rides in my current west coast location, but I have never seen *anything* like the storm described in the book this movie is based on, although I can extrapolate a little to get some idea of what it must have been like... a truly terrifying experience. Those are the spots of the movie I think they got right - you had a sense of the extreme cold, the wicked seas, the hopelessness of the rescue mission, the desperation and determination.
What I thought was a failure were the personal portions, which were altered significantly and often painted people in a poor light, which angers me in a 'based on a true story' movie and was totally unnecessary. For instance - Miriam and Bernie were already married and she was sick with the flu and worried in bed when Bernie went out; the total drama and mockery of her 'asking him to get married' was unnecessary (she DID propose to him, apparently, but they had already been married for over a year at the time of the rescue) and didn't enhance the story, nor did Miriam's lecturing the commander, Daniel Cluff. Every military spouse I have ever met and spoken to knows the risks of the life and would never barge into the CO's office and demand he/she be removed from a mission. It seemed forced and silly because it was - it wasn't true, she never did it, and at times they almost made Cluff seem like a buffoon - which from what I have read, he wasn't.
There was also no need to contrive the story about Ray Sybert and someone on the ship knocking heads - there was enough drama, and I think it detracted from what personally happened in a harrowing situation. Sybert stepped into the Captain's shoes when the boat foundered and there was enough there without concocting something ridiculous about a makeshift rudder and beaching when by the book's account that didn't happen, and I am not sure that physically it would be possible.
It would have been better if the movie had stuck with the FULL story of that day - the attempt at a double rescue of crew of two oil tankers that had BOTH split in half. The Fort Mercer story had a lot of nail-biting moments too, and I think that movie that showed this double rescue would have been better than what was produced. Bernie and his crew were genuine, gold-plated heroes, and the Coasties rescuing men from the Fort Mercer were also, and I think celebrating them - people who go out in the worst conditions to rescue absolute strangers - is a triumph on it's own, especially considering the backdrop this record storm created.