41
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckAn affecting drama marked by solid performances and a refreshing restraint in the way it delivers its religious message.
- 60VarietyJoe LeydonVarietyJoe LeydonNeatly avoiding temptations toward mawkish excess, writer-director Chris Dowling hits a solid double with Where Hope Grows, his intelligently affecting faith-based drama.
- 50Village VoiceMichael NordineVillage VoiceMichael NordineWriter-director Chris Dowling handles that worrisome premise with a more even hand than this genre's ill-advised predecessors.
- 50Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinA melodramatic third act strains to reconcile the film's disparate parts, and the feel-good ending is not quite earned. Still, the film offers a few lessons for those inclined to hear them.
- 40The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerOnce the proselytizing takes over, so does the predictability.
- 38Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt works, here and there, and Polaha is perfectly believable as an ex-jock and ex-jerk who lets a little child lead him out of the darkness.
- 37Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanThe Christian-themed Where Hope Grows wears its heart on its sleeve, hawking its message of salvation through faith to anyone who’s in the market for cheesy uplift and saccharine sentiment. It’s a soft sell, to be sure, but it’s salesmanship all the same.
- Chris Dowling’s second feature at first seems anodyne enough, but once the plot mechanics kick into high gear, the film becomes as unsurprising as a prix fixe menu.