62
Metascore
11 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasThe actors are superb -- especially Smith, who exudes some of the live-wire charisma of the young Sean Penn in Rosenthal's "Bad Boys," and the smoldering Brewster.
- This film is smart, funny and, thanks in no small part to David Geddes' cinematography, it occasionally approaches the poetic.
- 75TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThis intimate coming-of-age story benefits from excellent performances, notably Gregory Smith's.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe richness of the characters and themes in Nearing Grace inspire director Rick Rosenthal and his cast to create a film with terrific emotional energy and larkish humor.
- 63New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsThe performances by Smith, Brewster and veteran David Morse, as a morbidly depressed widower, elevate Nearing Grace to something near grace.
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceThis '70s-era teen romance from the director of "Halloween II" and the screenwriter of "Mean Creek" is a quietly effective number, a little like an '80s John Hughes movie without the laughs (not an insult in this case).
- 60The New York TimesLaura KernThe New York TimesLaura KernThere's nothing remotely surprising in the entire film. But the generally winning -- and freakishly good-looking -- cast, endowed by Jacob Aaron Estes's script with intelligent, if occasionally overwritten dialogue, makes for viewing that is easy on the eyes and the ears.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumScott Sommer's late-1970s coming-of-age novel, with little of the vivid specificity of "Mean Creek," even though the two share a screenwriter and a producer.
- 50VarietyRobert KoehlerVarietyRobert KoehlerWithout Smith's graceful presence, which more than once resembles Zach Braff's slightly older but observant New Jerseyite in "Garden State," Nearing Grace would be pure video fodder.
- 50Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill WhiteSeattle Post-IntelligencerBill WhiteA coming-of-age movie in which nobody comes of age.