55
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Screen RantScreen RantRay still overcomes adversity, but writers Rick Santora and Randy McKinnon sidestep the stereotypes that so often plague sports films to do so, making it one of the better sports films to be released in some time.
- 70The New York TimesKyle TurnerThe New York TimesKyle TurnerHudlin transforms a film that would be, in lesser hands, a formulaic hardship-as-aesthetic drama, into an earnest examination of what community means on the field, in the classroom and in our society.
- 65CNNBrian LowryCNNBrian LowrySafety feels like it aims a bit higher than some of the service's fare, and it's good-hearted and uplifting. If you're only going to score a couple of points, right now, that's not a bad place to start.
- 63RogerEbert.comNick AllenRogerEbert.comNick AllenThis is an inspirational movie in the broadest sense. You have to squint a lot to see the true story within it, but it's there.
- 60VarietyLisa KennedyVarietyLisa KennedyAlthough Safety takes its cues from a true story, its beats are comfortingly familiar — or annoyingly so, depending on your fondness for the rhythms of the genre.
- 58The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakHudlin has this thing firing on all cylinders to be the tearjerker, against all odds crowd-pleaser Oprah fans love (the McElrathbey episode plays during the credits). It’s highly effective. Just don’t ignore that it’s also highly manipulated.
- 50SlashfilmJosh SpiegelSlashfilmJosh SpiegelThe title says it all: Safety hits recognizable beats and never really challenges its setup, making for a maddeningly, mystifyingly safe crowd-pleaser.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeAs it is, the family pic's light tone never lets its themes of addiction, abandonment and poverty hit home, instead focusing on its hero's unlikely accomplishment and the brotherhood of sport.
- 50IndieWireSteve GreeneIndieWireSteve GreeneThe film that exists may fill in some temporary vacuum in a season without capacity-level crowds on Saturday nights and evenings. But those who want something more may have to wait a little longer.