29
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterThe film is effective in its intimate moments as well as its violent set pieces, and it could attract audiences, primarily because of Spacek's superb performance.
- 50Christian Science MonitorChristian Science MonitorThe astonishingly inept finish could serve as a primer in screenwriting classes on how not to wind up a family drama.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThe story is as impersonal as it is labored.
- 42The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayAll the performers are fine--even the miscast Romijn--but they're still too much like actors playing dress-up.
- 30Village VoiceVillage VoiceAdded to the general torpidity and twangy tropes of this Southern family drama is the discomfort of watching a natural actor (Garity) force it.
- 30Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleThe only thing saving Lake City from total ridiculousness is Spacek.
- 25New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithOne of those Deep Dark Secret movies, the dull indie Lake City combines a wholly uninteresting family mystery with a wholly unconvincing crime drama.
- 20VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibMoore and Hill's script plunges Spacek in a mawkish stew of banality and improbability composed of bits and pieces of earlier roles.
- 20The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenFeels like a movie whose story was slapped together during filming. Its three phases -- Southern pastorale, Sudsville and Kablooie -- don’t really connect.
- 20New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierNew York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierOnly natural spitfire Spacek, as the pickup-driving mom of the land, feels fresh. There's even a mouthy kid Garity is "taking care of" - guess whose son he is?