God Grew Tired of Us
Newmarket Films | Release Date: January 12, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
72
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
23
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Film ThreatMark Bell
Visually stunning and contextually provocative, God Grew Tired of Us is quite simply one of the most beautiful documentaries I've ever seen. Intelligent, heartbreaking, uplifting, humorous and reverent, the film is an adventure in what it means to be human. Read full review
88
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A moving documentary that informs, entertains and inspires. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Seesawing between despair and soul-affirming inspiration, God Grew Tired of Us is a documentary to make you proud of what America offers to the rest of the world and worried that it can't keep its promises. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Fortunately, their story is just as compelling here, and the film's subjects display impressive adaptability, as well as a desire not to forget those they've left behind. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJames Greenberg
An incredibly powerful story of renewal, commitment and the resiliency of the human spirit, this is a movie that should attract a large theatrical audience, and no one will go home disappointed. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Quinn discovers an unexpectedly funny, trenchant fish-out-of-water-eye-view of American life. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarrit Ingman
More factual rigor wouldn't hurt, but directors Quinn and Walker delve instead into the lives of their subjects with a fly-on-the-wall candor, revealing as much about American life as they do of African life. Read full review
75
PremiereJoey Chase
If nothing else, this doc, which one the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at last year's Sundance Film Festival, will leave you feeling that the American dream is still alive and well. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Crtainly worthy of serious attention and filled with revealing moments. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
The doggedness and good will of these men are irresistible as they pick up on the American dream, finding work and even college educations while trying to locate their missing relatives back home. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Narrated by Nicole Kidman, this poignant documentary tells only half the story of three Sudanese "lost boys" who emigrate to America. Though it doesn't delve as deep as it should, this movie will still break your heart. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
A year into their new lives, all three men experience profound isolation. How, they wonder, can Americans live such anti-social lives, so unconcerned with the idea of societal interdependence? This is the chief unexamined question raised by a worthy picture. What is there holds you all the same. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
A well-made culture-shock documentary. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
It's not as good, nor as complex, as "The Lost Boys," but that doesn't make the story of mass annihilation, sprawling refugee camps, the generosity of Americans, and the resilience of a handful of Sudanese survivors any less worthy of telling - again. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Touching and insightful. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kamal AL-Solaylee
Against all odds and historical improbabilities, God Grew Tired of Us is a pleasant, uplifting documentary about genocide and ethnic cleansing. Read full review
70
VarietyJohn Anderson
Although shot over a longer period of time than "Lost Boys," God Grew Tired is a softer, less complex version of essentially the same story, far less troubling in its explorations and implications than "The Lost Boys," but with far greater commercial potential. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
This is an important film. It's amazing that it exists, and the events it recounts are still more amazing. Everybody should see it. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Handsomely photographed and inspirational, but not cloyingly so, it is the rare contemporary documentary that doesn't leave a residue of cynicism and outrage. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
The message, unspoken but inescapable, is that a little sharing might feed wealthy and poor alike. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
God Grew Tired of Us never brings us half as close to its subjects as the far more penetrating "Lost Boys of Sudan" did in 2004. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
It's convincing as everything but a piece of good filmmaking. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
It's the warmth and resolve and humility of the young men that keeps us going. It may be more ennobling than introspective, but these three earn their nobility. Read full review
60
Village VoiceRob Nelson
A borderline lazy but nonetheless compelling documentary co-produced by National Geographic. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
This is a film that adds to our understanding of human nature. Yet its impact is lessened by a lack of factual context, and by an inspirational climax that may leave one feeling good and uneasy in equal measure.
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