Amazing Grace

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

An unusually satisfying and inspiring historical epic from one of contemporary cinema's best filmmakers.

Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman

The movie is the usual kind of film biography of a respected figure from the distant past - honorable, oversimplified, handsome.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

In the first 10 minutes, I feared the picture would be dull and earnest -- until, about a half-hour later, I realized it was lively and earnest, and also refreshingly, unapologetically movielike.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

Fortunately, director Michael Apted and his team understand the challenges of this kind of story and have met them with intelligence and energy.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

A workmanlike piece of storytelling elevated by fine performances.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin

Unlike its subject, Amazing Grace won't change the world, but its quasi-religious sense of conviction proves rousing. Apted's unexpected crowd-pleaser is inspirational, but also surprisingly entertaining.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

Anyone who has ever felt morally right and completely in the minority will have a point of entry into this movie.

New York Post Kyle Smith

This is the British way to mingle ideas and entertainment.

Miami Herald Connie Ogle

Apted delivers a fine, righteous climax and packs his film with some of Britain's best character actors.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Apted opts not to show the horrendous cruelty inflicted on thousands upon thousands of captive Africans, shackled and chained, making their way to the Americas in ships. Instead, he has Wilberforce and his fellow abolitionists describe the inhumane conditions - in the precise, passionate language of legislators who believe that human decency is more important than money and power.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Compelling and highly informative.

The New Republic Stanley Kauffmann

The dialogue is bright, historically styled yet lithe; the characterizations are graphic even with minor people.

New York Magazine David Edelstein

Michael Apted's Amazing Grace is a beautifully chiseled blunt instrument. No, it's not subtle, but how subtle was slavery?

Variety Eddie Cockrell

Picture reflects the no-nonsense storytelling skills of prolific helmer Michael Apted, whose career-long mix of feature and documentary work holds him in good stead once more.

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

A case of good works done well.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Flawed but ambitious, this biopic of British parliamentarian William Wilberforce closely tracks the political maneuvering of the late 18th and early 19th century as reformers campaign to end Britain's participation in the slave trade.

The New York Times Manohla Dargis

The overall effect is part BBC-style biography, part Hollywood-like hagiography, and generally pleasing and often moving, even when the story wobbles off the historical rails or becomes bogged down in dopey romance.

Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow

Although the structure is clunky, the ensuing parliamentary machinations prove witty and fascinating.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen

What's missing, in the direction no less than the script, is any real sense of dramatic urgency.

ReelViews James Berardinelli

It's disappointing that so much talent has been assembled with so little to do.

Empire Helen O'Hara

There's so much story here that the characters don't have quite enough room to breathe, but it's still a fascinating look at a time, and a man, worth remembering.

Entertainment Weekly Gregory Kirschling

It's earnest, solemn stuff. The movie sings an old tune -- Albert Finney is the blind minister who wrote the title ditty -- and it leaves the blood unstirred.

Village Voice Ella Taylor

Morally irreproachable and flat as a pancake.

Austin Chronicle Josh Rosenblatt

Unfortunately for Barbara and for us, what makes William Wilberforce a great man is also what makes him a bore.

Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips

Apted and his collaborators are so in awe of their subject they neglect to bring him to full human life.

Premiere Ethan Alter

Earnest, respectful and thoroughly dull.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

If Amazing Grace serves its most superficial purpose -- to educate the viewer -- it's hardly compelling viewing.

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It's a doughty movie, stuck halfway between Masterpiece Theatre and Classics Illustrated, but, to his credit, gifted journeyman director Michael Apted understands he's playing the long game.

Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer

[Apted] also has an unfortunate penchant for bland stateliness, and never more so than in Amazing Grace, a well-intentioned piece of historical waxworks.