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White Squall

Play trailer Poster for White Squall PG-13 1996 2h 7m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
57% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 65% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In 1960, a hardy group of prep school students boards an old-fashioned sailing ship. With Capt. Christopher Sheldon (Jeff Bridges) at the helm, the oceangoing voyage is intended to teach the boys fortitude and discipline. But the youthful crew -- among them confident Chuck Gieg (Scott Wolf), timid Gil Martin (Ryan Phillippe) and self-satisfied Frank Beaumont (Jeremy Sisto) -- are about to get some unexpected instruction in survival when they get caught in the clutches of a white squall storm.
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White Squall

White Squall

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Critics Consensus

Though it gets occasionally bogged down by touchy-feely sentiment, White Squall benefits greatly from Jeff Bridges' assured lead performance and Ridley Scott's visceral, exciting direction.

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Critics Reviews

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Brian Lowry Variety The filmmakers take a rather facile, anachronistic "Oprah"-esque approach toward the boys' feelings about their families and the Skipper's role as a "tough love"-minded surrogate father. Jul 25, 2008 Full Review Trevor Johnston Time Out This particular landlubber felt like jelly for the rest of the day, notwithstanding the hokey courtroom showdown that closes the picture. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Janet Maslin New York Times Despite great scenery, the distinctive visual ideas of Mr. Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) and the strong dramatic presence of Mr. Bridges, most of White Squall remains listless and tame. Rated: 2.5/5 May 20, 2003 Full Review Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot Once you get through all the cliches of the calm waters, there is a 20-minute movie somewhere within the two-hour running time. Rated: 2.5/4 Mar 1, 2022 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Bridges does his best to command the emotional resonance we assume motivated Sheldon, but scant characterization marks him merely as a cipher for brawny, brain-washed ideations of what masculinity's supposed to look like. Rated: 2/5 Aug 10, 2020 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Though lavishly produced and based on a true story, it still fails to satisfy. Rated: C+ Jun 27, 2016 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (448) audience reviews
Robert B Great movie, well acted. Ignore the negative reviews, anything that is positive and character building is frowned upon today. Comparable to Dead poets society. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/22/25 Full Review Dennis B The movie vers far from the book, but that’s not uncommon, but still enjoyable Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/26/25 Full Review Ivan V This was the only time I have ever walked out of a movie theatre 15 minutes after the movie started. TERRIBLE. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/21/24 Full Review Mike P Watchable true life docudrama which dissects the ship-wrecking of the USS Albatross; which was a ship that was being sailed by a boy's prep school in an elaborate nautical lesson. This is watchable but not great...Too many stereotypes; but the action is good. Recommended Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/10/24 Full Review Cindy L Strange things happen in the open ocean and unfortunately it happened to The Albatross, a true story. I thought the acting was good, the story intriguing and worth the view. A very good film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/28/22 Full Review jeffrey r A true story of courage and tragedy, told with empathy and art...a fine film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
White Squall

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Cast & Crew

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Ridley Scott

Director

Jeff Bridges

Captain Christopher `'Skipper'` Sheldon

Caroline Goodall

Dr. Alice Sheldon

Scott Wolf

Charles `'Chuck'` Gieg

John Savage

McCrea

Jeremy Sisto

Frank Beaumont

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White Squall

White Squall (1996) White Squall (1996) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In 1960, a hardy group of prep school students boards an old-fashioned sailing ship. With Capt. Christopher Sheldon (Jeff Bridges) at the helm, the oceangoing voyage is intended to teach the boys fortitude and discipline. But the youthful crew -- among them confident Chuck Gieg (Scott Wolf), timid Gil Martin (Ryan Phillippe) and self-satisfied Frank Beaumont (Jeremy Sisto) -- are about to get some unexpected instruction in survival when they get caught in the clutches of a white squall storm.
Director
Ridley Scott
Producer
Mimi Polk Gitlin, Rocky Lang
Screenwriter
Todd Robinson
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.3M
Runtime
2h 7m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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