TV-PG | 1h 35min | Adventure, Biography, Drama | 2021
Former street kid Omar (Jimmy Gonzales) has a lot on his mind. The orphanage he runs in Cabo San Lucas with his wife, Becca (Fernanda Urrejola), owes over $100,000 in debt. On top of that, a hurricane hits the orphanage and the building it’s housed in sustains considerable damage.
Running out of options, Omar pays the founder of the Bisbee Black and Blue fishing tournament, Wayne Bisbee (Bruce McGill), a visit. Omar hopes to enter the tournament in order to catch the largest blue marlin in the sea and earn its top prize of over $200,000, and thus, save his orphanage, Casa Hogar. The only problem is that Omar isn’t a fisherman; he doesn’t even know how to swim.
As Omar enters Bisbee’s office, he runs into one of the tournament’s past winners, Captain Wade (Dennis Quaid), who is arguing with Bisbee over the competition’s entrance fee. Bisbee has waived the tournament’s entrance fee for locals, but Captain Wade doesn’t qualify as a local. But seeing an opportunity to bring positive press to his organization, Bisbee teams “Papa Omar” and several of his orphans up with the washed-up captain.
The pairing of the two men is not exactly ideal. Captain Wade is used to doing things his way and rules his boat with an iron fist. To make things worse, one of the orphans that Omar invites to crew with them steals Captain Wade’s watch (even though Omar had the boy apologize for it).
The boys remind the salty captain of his estranged son who lives with his ex-wife back in Dallas, Texas.
Real Characters
One of the things I enjoyed about ”Blue Miracle,” a real-life, faith-based drama, is that it takes its time to develop its characters. Omar is a man with a questionable history whose father was drowned in a boating accident. It’s inferred that he took part in some shady deeds, as is revealed when an old accomplice shows up and takes Omar out for a night on the town.But Omar has found God and turned everything around, making it his life’s goal to shelter young orphans and teach them good values.
Likewise, Captain Wade has his own demons to deal with. He drinks too much and is running from his past.
While on Captain Wade’s boat at sea, the orphans engage each other in conversation and begin to wear down Captain Wade’s prickly exterior and reveal his ultimately good-hearted nature.
This film is not only uplifting but also features beautiful cinematography of the town’s streets and surrounding coastline. Stunning vistas soaked in sunsets of vibrant orange mix with the deep blue horizons of the ocean.
As the men and boys begin to bond on Captain Wade’s worn fishing vessel, Omar imparts positive messages to the boys, including themes of compassion, integrity, forgiveness, and how to be a good person even when doing so is difficult. The way these life lessons are delivered is not overly schmaltzy or contrived.
Rather, with the lovely score, and excellent direction and acting (particularly on the part of the kids), everything feels natural and authentic.
The feel-good ending is basically the cinematic cherry on top of this inspiring movie that not only delights the senses but delivers uplifting messages that have much more gravitas than any massive blue marlin.
