White Squall

Play trailer

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.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Brian Lowry

Variety

07/25/2008

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.

Go to Full Review

Trevor Johnston

Time Out

01/26/2006

This particular landlubber felt like jelly for the rest of the day, notwithstanding the hokey courtroom showdown that closes the picture.

Go to Full Review

Janet Maslin

New York Times

05/20/2003

2.5/5

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.

Go to Full Review

Mal Vincent

The Virginian-Pilot

03/01/2022

2.5/4

Once you get through all the cliches of the calm waters, there is a 20-minute movie somewhere within the two-hour running time.

Go to Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

08/10/2020

2/5

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.

Go to Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

06/27/2016

C+

Though lavishly produced and based on a true story, it still fails to satisfy.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

JAMES B.

@Briceman301 Feb 1

A young man’s dream adventure. 1960 perfectly captured.

See more

thiago s

@Thiagostone Aug 30

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

See more

Robert B

@MrZetetic 02/22/2025

Great movie, well acted. Ignore the negative reviews, anything that is positive and character building is frowned upon today. Comparable to Dead poets society.

See more

Dennis B

@RT37415025 01/26/2025

The movie vers far from the book, but that’s not uncommon, but still enjoyable

See more

Ivan V

@RT56252952 08/21/2024

This was the only time I have ever walked out of a movie theatre 15 minutes after the movie started. TERRIBLE.

See more

Mike P

@RT09890132 04/10/2024

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

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

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

The War

27%

74%

The War

Watchlist

The Portrait of a Lady

48%

51%

The Portrait of a Lady

Watchlist

Crooklyn

79%

89%

Crooklyn

Watchlist

A Cool, Dry Place

54%

59%

A Cool, Dry Place

Watchlist

How to Make an American Quilt

62%

63%

How to Make an American Quilt

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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