Flicka
Fox 2000 Pictures | Release Date: October 20, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
57
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
6
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
VarietyTodd McCarthy
It's not really either an animal or a kids' film but rather a young adult drama that rings emotionally true. Read full review
83
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It is purely and fearlessly a girl-and-her-horse movie that isn't trying to be all things for all audiences. Read full review
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
So those seeking a softer approach to the realities of both child- and animal-rearing should search elsewhere. The rest of us, meanwhile, are free to enjoy a well-made family drama pitched to young adults that's honest, tough and surprisingly engaging. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The best parts of Flicka are its pinch-me optimism and its old-fashioned-movie flourishes. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The film paints a fairly realistic portrait of four people bound by blood but -- like all of us -- all too capable of underestimating each other. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
It's hard to argue with the movie's big heart, solid craftsmanship, likable characters, decent acting, gorgeous scenery or the fact that it's going to leave its audience blubbering and smiling. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Give Flicka credit for one thing: It stays on message. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of a Wyoming mountain range--a view this time unobstructed by the gay cowboys who so alarm family audiences--the film offers up fantasy footage for every strong-willed girl who ever straddled a saddle, and little more. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyScott Brown
As for our heroine (Lohman), her archetypal struggle with crusty Pa (uncrusty Tim McGraw) feels attitude-heavy and life-lesson-light. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
With some movies, you know exactly what you're going to see before you even enter the theater, and Michael Mayer's Flicka is one of them: You've got your girl, you've got your horse, and you've got your strict father trying to keep them apart. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
Mayer knows how to tug at the heartstrings, and his admirably restrained cast keeps the family drama from becoming too sugary. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)David Gilmour
Yet -- and this must be said in all fairness -- as things progress, the magic of the story asserts itself over the audience. Read full review
63
PremiereGlenn Kenny
One casting wild card is the country singer Tim McGraw, and he's very solid in the role of Katie's horse-rancher dad, the kind of guy whose hard-headedness can't mask the size of his heart. Read full review
60
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
An entertainingly ridiculous update of Mary O’Hara’s 1941 children’s novel, “My Friend Flicka.” Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
A modernized version of that great sentimental horse movie, 1943's "My Friend Flicka," and it comes with the shiny trappings, high professionalism and glamorous accessories you might expect...Something is missing though. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Another miscalculation by sophomore director Michael Mayer. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
There are some nice moments and beautiful scenery, but the film is often slow and the dialogue is overwrought. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
A thoroughly uninspiring drama that ultimately buckles under Michael Mayer's weighty direction. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
It takes a pristine gift for mediocrity to ruin Mary O'Hara’s muscular children's novel about a wild boy and his wild horse, but director Michael Mayer has brought off the massacre with aplomb. Read full review
38
New York PostLou Lumenick
As misconceived as it is corny and predictable. Read full review
38
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
If all you ask of a movie is that it have scenic stars and some scenery (here the Sierras of California substitute for the Rockies of Wyoming), then Flicka is adequate. Me, I expected some conflict, some resolution, and a horse that took me on a wild ride. This one really never gets out of the gate. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleToddy Burton
No doubt the most devoted horse lovers in the tween set will get their fill, but parents should sneak out for a very long popcorn break. Read full review
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