All kinds of reviews for Peter Chelsom's The Mighty

Mostly good, but some bad

Kieran Culkin, Elden Henson

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Raves (3.5 and 4 star reviews)

Leonard Klady, Daily Variety "A deft work of sleight-of-hand that translates across generations... This is the boys' story and the two leads are extraordinary... An impressive honesty that's draining, cathartic, and satisfying."

Jack Mathews, Newsday (4 stars) "A beautifully directed fable about friendship, self-esteem and empowerment... Quirky-comic writing... Superb performances... Exhilarating, galloping moments of triumph"

Jay Carr, Boston Globe "Off-beat elements come together in a film that soars on the simpatico chemistry between its two young stars."

Leonard Maltin, Playboy "One of the 10 best movies of 1998."

Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune (3.5 stars) "An intentionally, and successfully so, inspirational film."

Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly "A boy's adventure for everyone... Leavened with rough-shod lyricism... Another graceful arabesque in the career of a director who expands his vision of the world, and ours, with each new movie he makes."

James Berardinelli, Reel Views (3.5 stars) "One of the best family films of the decade... Nearly perfect in both conception and execution... A salute to the power of imagination and creativity... It fills the viewer with optimism for the future of motion pictures."

Gregory Solman, Film Comment "An enchanting, timeless resonance... A gentle giant of a small film, Peter Chelsom's humane, detailed vision and his precise control of the movie's sentiment— sidestepping the mawkish artiface that usually attends child fantasy— looms large in its triumph... The spare, convincing screenplay by Charles Leavitt comes from an acclaimed young-adult novel by Rodman Philbrick, but it's perfectly in keeping with Chelsom's muse."

Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (8 out of 10) "A rousing, heartfelt adventure... Directed with sensitivity and wit... Culkin and Henson carry the film with wonderful performances."

Paul Tatara, CNN Showbiz "It renews your faith in the human race... Great writing, deft direction, and flat-out great acting on all fronts... Blows you away with its originality, its human spirit, and its ability to engulf you in sheer magic."

Jane Horwitz, Washington Post "Tells a wonderful story about courage, kinship, the love of books and sad loss, but avoids milking every ounce of sentimentality for cheap tears... With plot twists involving one boy's health and the other's endangerment, The Mighty isn't for preteens or younger. But it's for everyone else."

Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle "The best family picture to come along all year, it's heartwarming and at times heartbreaking but never seems manipulative."

Mary Dickson, Salt Lake City Weekly "Both funny and inspirational, the film is also an adventurous tale... A celebration of friendship... Culkin is a charmer who's very good in his role, but it's Henson who gives the film's strongest performance."

Henry Sheehan, Orange County Register "The possibilities for everything ending up an explosive mess of sentimentality are nearly overwhelming. Yet somehow, Peter Chelsom has traipsed lightly past the booby-traps, leading a sprightly cast through a contemporary fable of extraordinary richness and depth. In a cinematic miracle of empathy, he shares the prespective of a lonely teen-age outsider who, through friendship and a liberating leap of imagination, manages to enter fully into a world he's previously learned to shut out."

E! Online (Grade: B+) "An amiable little charmer, that despite some heavy-handed moments, prevails with confidence... Heartfelt performances by Henson and Culkin."

Joe Hallenbeck, Ain't-It-Cool-News "The writing, directing, acting, music, settings... Everything is just pure perfection... An absolutely mesmerizing adaptation... One of the best films of the year."

"Robogeek," Ain't-It-Cool-News "Pure, unadulterated cinematic magic... Intelligence, humanity, sincerity, integrity, and artistry... It is genuinely inspiring, affecting, enchanting, and wonderful... Elden Henson delivers a thoroughly impressive performance."

Harry Knowles, Ain't-It-Cool-News "The sort of film that will grab you, that refuses to let go of you... It's brilliant. One of the best films of the year."

The Cranky Critic "An almost perfect piece of moviemaking... Funny and touching, filled with flights of fancy and sobering reality... The acting performances are so balanced that the script and production shine."

Jeff Joseph's Toronto Film Festival review (4.5 out of 5 stars) "The best non-animated children's movie ever made... Every child should be forced by law to see this movie at least once. It wouldn't hurt a lot of adults to see it, too."

Erin Podolsky, Michigan Daily "The Mighty breaks your heart without ever trying to— it is beautifully understated and never takes anything for granted... Shows no sign of immature language or catering to children. Director Peter Chelsom deftly crafts the tale of the two boys with a hand that implies knowledge of the cruelty of adolescence, the hardships of life and the power of friendship. His handling of the performances by Culkin and Henson is exceptional, never striking a false note."

Anthony Leong, The Reel Site (Grade: A) "Full of humor, emotion, and intelligence, The Mighty is a crowd-pleaser that pushes all the right buttons without resorting to cheap sentimentality or being cute... A film full of surprises, switching effortlessly from pathos to humor, and tragedy to triumph."


Kind Words (3 star reviews)

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (3 stars) "An emotionally affecting movie... Much of the film's appeal comes from the performances... The movie shows that imagination can be a weapon in life."

Eleanor Ringel, Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Grade: B) "A touching, satisfying film that manages to be down to earth and magical at the same time."

David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor (3 stars) "A lively spirit, a gentle heart, and a number of funny lines... Two fine juvenile performances flanked by an impressive roster of adults."

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone "Sharon Stone's help in producing this heartfelt film is laudable... Chelsom draws fine work from Kieran Culkin and Elden Henson... Gillian Anderson steals every scene she's in."

Leah Rozen, People "Chelsom gets personable performances from his two young stars as well as a nicely understated one from Stone as Culkin's mom. And Gillian Anderson shows off more pizzazz in her few scenes here than she did in the entire X-Files movie."

Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee (3 stars) "Like its two young heroes, The Mighty beats the odds. Although its core plot is stickily inspirational, preaching the importance of overcoming difficulties in life, the movie has a genuine generosity of spirit and an honesty that transcend sentiment."

Ann Hornaday, Baltimore Sun (3 stars) "The Mighty keeps the Hallmark moments to a minimum, supplanting glowy nostalgia with far more arresting fantasy images... Culkin makes an auspicious debut... Stone gracefully cedes the screen to her younger co-stars."

Malene Arpe, San Jose Mercury News (4 out of 5 stars) "When tragedy strikes you'll reach for the hanky without feeling manipulated. If there's any justice The Mighty will become a family classic."

Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune "The elements of The Mighty meld in surprising and satisfying ways... Chelsom draws careful and saccharine-free performances from his young stars, particularly the quietly soulful Henson."

Thelma Adams, New York Post (3 stars) "Deftly weaves humor and pathos... Chelsom doesn't lard the story with sentimentality... The supporting cast is magnificent."

John Urbancich, Cleveland Sun (4 out of 5 stars) "Admirers of the Arthurian legend and decent screenwriting should embrace The Mighty... It's a mighty fine cast supporting the dazzling young men who carry this mighty inspiring story."

Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle "An often-affecting little film... Culkin is first-rate."

Christopher Brandon, TNT Rough Cut "A powerful lesson and fantasy element make The Mighty less like the comical Simon Birch but rather a moving Heavenly Creatures for boys."

Susan Stark, Detroit News (3 stars) "The movie takes a turn for the melodramatic toward the end, but the story is fresh and the key performances disarming."

Margaret McGurk, Cincinnati Enquirer (3 stars) "The Mighty rings true... Performances across the board are strong, but the movie's richest treat is the wonderfully honest, keenly felt performance by young Mr. Henson. He just about carries the film on his back."

M.V. Moorhead, New Times Los Angeles "A real fairy tale, with sentimentality and tough-mindedness and violence and loss and humor and magic all mixed together... The Mighty is at times a startlingly skillful piece of filmmaking... There's a soul and urgency to it, even when it's thrashing around in some ugly melodrama... Kieran Culkin has comic timing and an alert, open face... The real find, though, is Elden Henson."

Gary Dauphin, The Village Voice "Framed by mildly fantastical flourishes and surrounded by a well-chosen cast of adults, the two boys are allowed to grow believably in affection and stature... Credit everyone involved that when the inevitable happens it still has a ring of truth over the swelling violins."

Chris Hewitt, Knight Ridder Newspapers "The Mighty has heightened, melodramatic characterizations that give its modest action a mythic quality. The movie recognizes that, to a kid, his problems are the most important things in the world... These heightened scenes give us a deep understanding of the two main characters, as do the exceptional performances of Culkin and Henson."

Scott Renshaw, Internet critic (8 out of 10) "A family film about triumph over adversity that earns honest emotional response... Culkin and Henson create a solid dramatic foundation... A potent climax without an ounce of fat."

Todd Lother, News & Observer (3 stars) "Deftly accomplishes the uneasy task of imparting some valuable messages without coming off as the least bit preachy. And it's vastly entertaining to boot... It could have been insufferably precious, but director Peter Chelsom and writer Charles Leavitt have reined in the mawkishness, injected humor in all the right places and beautifully balanced the fantasy and reality elements."

Rick Groen, Vancouver Globe and Mail (3 stars) "A film that sounds dark but never feels that way. British director Peter Chelsom infuses the picture with a joyful light— with redeeming humour and lyrical grace. He gets a tremendous assist from his two child actors. Kieran Culkin brings a poignant playfulness to the doomed Kevin. Elden Henson is just as touching in the more difficult role, tracing the gradual evolution of his mute giant into a formidable truth-speaker with subtle eloquence."

Lisa Osborne, Box Office Magazine "Sharon Stone makes a convincing mom, but the show really belongs to Elden Henson. His performance is terrific... A lovely family movie."

Susan Chenelle, New York CitySearch "Quirky, imaginative, and heartwarming... While Kieran Culkin proves himself a more intelligent and sensitive actor than his brother, and Elden Ratliff's face portrays a deep and endearing gentleness, the supporting characterization is a little thin."


Just Okay (2.5 star reviews)

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times "The forces of conventionality have hamstrung what is in many ways a quirky and imaginative piece of work... An unlikely alliance of earnest, well-meaning sentimentality and genuinely magical and moving filmmaking... Regrettably, this film tends to aim too patly at the heart and get too pleased with itself in the process. The best thing about The Mighty, however, is that it is its own best antidote. If you stick with it long enough, you will gain sympathy for its quixotic attempt to do things differently."

Janet Maslin, New York Times "Ms. Stone gives a game, down-to-earth performance until the dialogue protests too much. The boys themselves are played likably and well... Chelsom makes his first American film without as much sweet whimsy as his earlier films, but his sense of visual enchantment easily accommodates the story's way of letting dreams of knighthood loom large and literal from time to time."

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune (2.5 stars) "A funny and sentimental movie... Seemingly unconvinced that friendship and suffering alone are fascinating subjects, the writer takes us on another wild movie ride, full of nightmare secrets, guns, kidnapping, and bloody bashings."

Jack Kroll, Newsweek "The film is sweet but soft. With a cast featuring deglamorized roles for Sharon Stone and Gillian Anderson, the movie is carried by the two young actors, the stolid Henson and the feisty Culkin."

Maureen Callahan, Microsoft Cinemania (2.5 stars) "If you take The Mighty for what it is— a child's story that wants to be magically realistic but fails because it's too earnest— you'll find it hard to resist, mawkishness and all."

Mike Clark, USA Today (2.5 stars) "The movie is a tear-jerker largely thanks to two well-cast young actors... Some notably uncliched casting finds Gillian Anderson unrecognizable as a floozy and Harry Dean Stanton married to Gena Rowlands... Sharon Stone is respectable but a distraction."

Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian (2.5 stars) "Molding the story with clarity, darkness, and realism, Chelsom demonstrates the transforming effect that a strong director can have on potentially sentimental material... The best stuff in the film is in the acting... It isn't a perfect work. As it moves between fantasy sequences and gritty bits of reality, it can jar, and some of the more elaborately staged sequences feel unnatural... But the people behind The Mighty chose a brave course: treating their subjects as if they were people and their feelings as if they were real."

Bob Strauss, L.A. Daily News "Despite some finely etched characterizations, The Mighty frustrates as hokey and horrific elements increase towards the end... Chelsom keeps sentimentality to a remarkable minimum... Stone takes the adult acting honors."

Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun (3 out of 5 stars) "Two youths steal the movie out from under Sharon Stone's nose... Culkin shows subtlety and deep emotion... Unfortunately, the movie gets sidetracked by too many silly subplots involving adult issues such as sex, violence and crime."


Poison Pens (everything else)

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly (Grade: C-) "Phony and pseudo-inspirational... Sticky and contrived only-in-the-movies claptrap... Culkin is cloying and precocious... You forget that Sharon Stone was ever a charismatic actress.""

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post "More mediocre than mighty, it may not drown in its own syrupy pathos, but it certainly wallows contentedly in it... Sharon Stone is wasted... The truest and most poignant notes are sounded by Elden Henson, who brings a simple, unforced honesty to his portrayal... The film's real failure lies in its inability to anchor the fairy-tale quality of its narrative."

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post "Just another crippled genius dwarf movie, as if we needed another one... The two young actors are superb, but they are lost in an overcrowded story line."

Elizabeth Weitzman, Film.com "The biggest draw is a clutch of strong, unusual performances... Henson leaves you intrigued as to what else he can do. He's terrific in a complex role... Fine acting, however, can't save a script, and this one tends stubbornly toward the cloying... The movie is over sentimental and often heavy-handed, but be fully aware that you'll probably cry anyway."

John Hartl, Film.com "A few truly exhilarating scenes... But Chelsom and his screenwriter keep cluttering up this simple story of strength in friendship."

Mark Burger, Winston-Salem Journal (1.5 stars) "It aims for the tearducts and misses almost entirely. The schmaltz factor is too shameless to be effective... A surprising botch from director Chelsom... there's not much he can do with the saccharine screenplay... Henson registers strongly, but the rest of the cast is left to flounder."

Michael Atkinson, Mr. Showbiz (45 out of 100) "A moody, shallow, inspirational kids' movie... You want to like it simply because of its oddness, but the damn thing preens too hard to let you... The Mighty strains too mightily to manipulate its narrowly conceived audience and falls flat."



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