Tamal Kundu
‘Blue Miracle’ is a film about heroism, persevering against seemingly insurmountable odds, and eventually triumphing over them. It revolves around Omar (Jimmy Gonzales), a Cabo San Lucas native who runs the Casa Hogar boys’ home with his wife Becca (Fernanda Urrejola). They owe over $100,000 to the bank and barely survive through a hurricane.
In a desperate bid to save the orphanage, Omar and some of the boys participate in the world’s biggest fishing competition: Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament. Helping them is the veteran angler and captain and two-time Brisbee champion, Wade Malloy (Dennis Quaid). The film unfolds like a good sports drama — predictable but extremely satisfying. Here is everything you need to know about the ‘Blue Miracle’ ending. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Blue Miracle Plot Synopsis
In the Mexican resort city of Cabo San Lucas, Omar and Becca run the boys’ home Casa Hogar. Omar constantly ignores calls from the bank, knowing exactly what they want. If the home doesn’t pay the money it owes to the bank, the children will be forced to go back to the streets. Having grown up on the streets himself, Omar knows the horrors that await them there. A local policeman brings a delinquent named Moco (Miguel Angel Garcia) to Omar, hoping that the troubled youth will cooperate with a man who regularly works with boys like him.
Realizing that the officer has hit the boy, Omar convinces Moco to come with him to return the watch that Moco stole to the original owner. This is how Omar meets the haggard and cynical Captain Wade. Hurricane Odile leaves utter devastation in its wake in Cabo San Lucas, and Casa Hogar doesn’t escape its wrath. There is flooding in the home, and Becca informs Omar that only a week worth of food is left. To make the matter worse, the bank tells Omar that he has only a month to pay back what he owes; otherwise, they will take possession of the home.
Omar reaches out to Wayne Bisbee (Bruce McGill), the organizer of Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament, asking him to speak to the bank to give the home more time. Wade has his own financial issues. He lives out of his boat and tries to earn money by taking rich tourists out fishing. However, he oftentimes ends up chasing them away as they ask to help them pretend that they have caught a fish by arranging it from somewhere else.
Due to the hurricane, many international anglers drop out of the competition. As a result, Wayne lets local anglers participate in the tournament free of cost. When Wade tries to enter the tournament as a local angler, Wayne initially doesn’t allow this and reminds him that he is originally from San Diego. After Wade proposes the idea of teaming him up with a local, Wayne forces him to collaborate with Omar, knowing that this is possibly the only chance that Casa Hogar has.
Blue Miracle Ending: Does Casa Hogar Win the Tournament?
Yes, Casa Hogar wins Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament. When Omar first learns about the home’s impending participation in the fishing competition, he is understandably skeptical about their chances. Instead, he wants to pursue a more practical approach in his attempt to prevent the home’s foreclosure. But as Becca reminds him, they don’t have any more options. So, he takes three boys from the home, Geco (Anthony Gonzalez), Hollywood (Nathan Arenas), and Wiki (Isaac Arellanes), and goes to the dock for the first of 3 days of the tournament. He also convinces Moco to join them.
According to the rule of the tournament, the first one to touch the fishing rod for the day will have to be the one to pull out the fish. Wade chooses Omar for the job. However, the last time Omar was on a boat to fish, his father died after the boat capsized. The incident has left him so traumatized that he doesn’t want to reel in the fish. So, on day 1, Moco is picked to do the job. They catch nothing on the first day and discover another team has reeled in a 368-pound marlin. Omar later receives an offer from his old friend Hector (Raymond Cruz), who has come calling after the hurricane and knows about the home’s financial situation.
He wants Omar to return to the world of crime and do some jobs for him and his associates. But Omar resolutely declines, having left that life behind him a long time ago. It is that moral integrity that later compels him not to cheat. On day 2, a marlin takes the bait, but the crew of Knot Enough loses the fish when their line snaps. That evening, Wade comes to talk to Omar with an already caught fish and seemingly convinces him to pretend to have reeled in the fish on day 3.
The pragmatic side of Omar knows that this is the best option that he now has to keep the home running. But he has always been a man of strong faith and morality. The following day, right before they put their plan into action, Omar pushes the fish into the sea. This is immediately followed by a moment of complete despair for Omar, as he starts to accept that doing good things doesn’t always lead to great results.
Ultimately, however, he and the children get the miracle they have been hoping for. At the start of the film, Omar finds a nail embedded into one of the tires of his pickup truck. He later gives it to one of the younger children, Tweety (Steve Gutierrez), and convinces him that it has divine powers. Tweety uses the nail to offer prayers, and they begin to come true. On day 3 of the competition, Omar throws the nail into the sea, and suddenly, there is a pull on the line. Wade selected Omar to reel in the fish that day because they needed to work together to hook the already caught fish on the line. So, he has no other choice to take the rod and pull. They catch a blue marlin that weighs 384 pounds — much bigger than any of their competitors’ catch — and win the tournament.
What Does the Future Hold for Casa Hogar and Captain Wade?
Omar, whom the children lovingly call Papa Omar, saves the home with the $250,000 prize money. This is Wade’s second honest win at the tournament. He decides to go back to Dallas to his estranged family, as he has finally gotten what he had come seeking, an unblemished victory. The Casa Hogar side of things is loosely based on an incredible true story. At the end of the film, the notes reveal that the home begins thriving in the years after the tournament and even expands to include a girls’ program.
Read More: Where Was Blue Miracle Filmed?
