In this romantic drama, Kevin Costner stars as a strong, silent and sensitive boat builder living in North Carolina, who's tracked down by newspaper researcher Robin Wright Penn after she finds a heart-rending love letter to his late wife in a bottle on the seashore. Her hard-nosed reporter's edge soon softens as she decides to learn more about the man and his solitary life. Although the inevitable happens - with a twist! - the beauty of director Luis Mandoki's intelligent tear-jerker (adapted by Gerald DiPego from Nicholas Sparks's bestseller) is how all the emotions ring true. A richly rewarding tribute to the human spirit, this is irresistibly warm-hearted stuff, with an absolutely brilliant scene-stealing performance from Paul Newman as Costner's grizzled father.

A woman finds a romantic letter in a bottle washed ashore and tracks down the author, a widowed shipbuilder whose wife died tragically early. As a deep and mutual attraction blossoms, the man struggles to make peace with his past so that he can move on and find happiness.