Well-acted, briskly paced and prettily photographed, the film is a mild-mannered family story with a caring heart, and that's ultimately enough to make its 104 minutes worthwhile.
80
Film.comJohn Hartl
Film.comJohn Hartl
The most popular entry in last year's Seattle International Film Festival family series.
80
Film.com
Film.com
Accomplished, ambitious, and great-looking.
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
As warm and reassuring as grandma's hugs.
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Woven from such promising threads that you wish it was better.
Avoids succumbing to the preachiness that is the bane of so many family films, and for a movie like this, that's no small feat.
50
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
You have no idea how determined director Rich Cowan is to suck the last drop of sap out of this tree.
50
San Francisco ExaminerWalter Addiego
San Francisco ExaminerWalter Addiego
Earnest and kid-friendly -- also simplistic and dramatically creaky.
40
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Clunky and obvious.
33
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
A contrived and sentimental melodrama, the film takes a promising premise and crushes it with mind-numbing repetition, sophomoric conveniences, plastic acting and the worst score, perhaps, ever heard.