Message in a Bottle

The sites that were finally chosen for most of the shooting of the scenes of Garret's hometown were Northport and Popham Beach, Maine. Over $250,000. of renovations were done to the seasonal home in Popham that became Garret's house, including the addition of the room which held Catherine's artwork and the adjacent living room with fireplace (faux). At the end of filming the owner of the house demanded that it be returned to its original state costing the production company nearly as much to undo.

In his final letter to Catherine, Garret writes that he regrets watching Theresa get into a plane and fly away, but when she left him she drove away in a rental car (the airport scene was deleted).

"Girl with lantern" painting by Helen Turner Greenville County Museum of Art

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Message in a Bottle/My Favorite Martian/Children of Heaven/Blast from the Past/God Said, 'Ha!' (1999)