The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Plot

After the accidental death of his free-spirited pregnant wife, Penny (Jessica Biel), reserved architect Henry (Jason Sudeikis) struggles to find meaning in his life and in the work that once consumed him. As he continues to work on the house he and Penny were building together, Henry is drawn to a mysterious young runaway named Millie (Maisie Williams) whom Penny had asked Henry to help. Though Millie mistrusts Henry at first, the two build a tentative friendship as she reveals her ambition to build a raft to go find her father who was lost at sea. Taking on the father role he was meant to have, Henry neglects his job and other responsibilities to help Millie on her quest. As they work together, he comes to understand that she can help him to heal as much as he can help her and in the end they set sail together across the Atlantic.

Cast

Production

In May 2012, Jessica Biel, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, were cast in the film, with Bill Purple directing from a screenplay by Robbie Pickering. Justin Timberlake served as the composer and music supervisor, Biel also served as a producer on the film, alongside Michelle Purple, Ross M. Dinerstein and Darby Angel, under their Iron Ocean Films, Preferred Content, and AngelWorld banners respectively. In March 2015, Jayson Warner Smith, Orlando Jones, Paul Reiser, Maisie Williams and Jason Sudeikis joined the cast of the film.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 14, 2016. Shortly after, Electric Entertainment acquired U.S distribution rights to the film. It went onto screen at the Heartland Film Festival and Napa Valley Film Festival. The film was released into theaters on January 13, 2017.

Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a rare score of 9% based on 11 reviews and an average rating of 3.1/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 27 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Music

The film's soundtrack entitled The Book of Love (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) was composed by Justin Timberlake and Mitchell Owens and was released on January 13, 2017.

Track listing