12 Mighty Orphans
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: June 11, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
44
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
3
Mixed:
7
Negative:
4
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeJun 16, 2021
It’s all engineered to pay off in familiar ways, though the movie isn’t quite as predictable as you might think. Read full review
67
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerAug 5, 2021
With its old-fashioned look, quaint unsophistication and self-consciously big heart, this film is Hoosiers meets The Longest Yard, with an Oliver Twist. Read full review
67
The Film StageJared MobarakJun 15, 2021
The delineation between good and evil maybe a bit too black-and-white throughout, but none of those aspects remove the potency of the lessons learned along the way. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesNoel MurrayJun 17, 2021
Credit Wilson and Sheen . . . Nothing that happens in 12 Mighty Orphans is unexpected, but these two pros still react with infectious wonder as the messages they send to their students take root and then sprout. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJun 15, 2021
12 Mighty Orphans tells the true story of a Depression-era high school football team improbably formed at a Texas orphanage, but the screenplay may as well have been invented from whole cloth, given its relentlessly formulaic nature. Read full review
50
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanJun 14, 2021
If you’re looking for that kind of moral-rich message, delivered with equal amounts of sincerity and syrup, congratulations: You may have found the mythical source from which all other malarkey springs. Read full review
50
The PlaylistAndrew CrumpJun 12, 2021
Ultimately it’s very little about football. It’s about class. This is a theme worthy of a spotlight, too — but 12 Mighty Orphans isn’t the place for it, or it shouldn’t be. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarJun 11, 2021
Wholesome in the most “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” brand of mythical Americanism, 12 Mighty Orphans is engineered to rouse emotions with uncritical pride, never reaching the less immaculate corners of the historical period it employs as canvas. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleCary DarlingJun 10, 2021
The results may be sports-movie predictable in many ways, but the Mighty Mites’ impossible story is one deserving of resurrection from the dusty archives of Texas history. Read full review
40
Screen DailyTim GriersonJun 10, 2021
Luke Wilson and Martin Sheen are respectably earnest as the caretakers of these blandly noble underdogs, but this sepia-tinged portrait slavishly follows the playbook at every turn — which is ironic since it’s a film meant to honour a coach who won by being inventive. Read full review
38
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 10, 2021
As a director, Roberts comes off as more of a producer. He can get a movie made, he’s just damned artless in making it. Read full review
30
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergJun 17, 2021
12 Mighty Orphans is a plodding football drama in which the characters talk to one another like folksy social workers. Read full review
25
Original-CinLiam LaceyAug 4, 2021
Sometimes researching the background of a movie proves more revealing than the film itself. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleJenny NulfJun 10, 2021
There is no denying that being parentless during the Great Depression called for a lot of resilience, but 12 Mighty Orphans’ underdog story unfortunately plays out to farce levels of entertainment. Read full review
More From This Movie

44 Critic Reviews

6.6 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL