User reviews

Adele's mother June has been divorced several times. Her current boyfriend Robert wants to marry her (but is the feeling mutual?). Her father Humphrey sees her some Saturdays. Her older sister Joyce has been abused by her man and seems to be mentally ill. Her older brother Ray drinks and cheats even though his wife (I think they're married, anyway) has one child and another on the way. June sings old-style jazz and blues in a club but that's not really what the customers want to hear.

If this was a comedy it was a very dark one. Especially at the end, a classic example of "don't try this at home". Cybill Shepherd was strong and sarcastic but I wouldn't exactly call this one of her best roles. She's sort of a talented singer, but I did like the songs she performed. Alexandra Purvis did okay in what appeared to be the lead role, and she narrated sometimes. Gabrielle Miller was convincing as a pathetic loser but not someone I could care about. I think we were supposed to laugh at some of what she did, but somehow it seemed insensitive. Near the end, the movie had the potential to get exciting but even that fizzled out (pun intended; you'll see what I mean if you're patient enough to sit through it).

This didn't appeal to me personally, but there was one scene in a bar (a lot of time was spent in bars in this movie) where a band played music that sounded like a mix of traditional Irish and rock. The best thing about that for me was the fiddle player was good-looking. Maybe some people would like this music.

I'm not sure what the title meant. There were several scenes where Adele watched dolphins or some kind of sea life, and she had an aquarium in her room. And Robert was a sailor who put the sea behind him for June. As for me, I think it means this whole movie probably should have been thrown in the sea.

Very European style film(as Canadian cinema tends to be)--emphasis on story and atmosphere, no car chases or messages or good/evil moral duality required. Just gritty reality of real people full of real love and forgiveness despite anger at inevitable flaws. Life is hard so grab real love where you can--and the main characters are full of real love. Reminiscent of Roseanne and other warm but real and not sweet tales of modern times, such as Cybill's other work--e.g. her eponymous TV series. Left me wanting a sequel, the characters were so engaging.Can't find it on Amazon-- would like a copy if anyone knows how to find copies of obscure CBC productions. Title refers to their life in a port city where their jobs and interests revolve around the shipping industry and the main protagonists have a love of whales.