Pride
Lionsgate | Release Date: March 23, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
17
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Pride doesn't have much surprise, but it's a formula picture of genuine feeling. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Howard, playing an inspirational and resourceful man up against long odds, really is an inspiration. Read full review
75
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
It's about black athletes, and they swim. It's as reassuringly uplifting as its predecessors, but the African-American and aquatic elements set it pleasantly apart. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Inspired by the true story of Ellis, has Hollywood formula practically stitched to its Speedo. But the characters and the actors who play them are so captivating, we're too entertained and charmed to notice. Read full review
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Whether this is all a case of life imitating art or vice versa matters little. Few of these movies aspire to art. What counts is the trajectory of uplift. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
As exasperating as it is conventionally satisfying. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
There are formulaic moments aplenty in Pride, the "inspired by a true story" tale of Philadelphia swimming coach Jim Ellis, but in its first scenes, at least, it deserves some credit for doing the unexpected. Read full review
63
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
A measured, magnificently understated and intense performance by Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Crash) as Ellis gives Pride its fire and heart. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Worth seeing, not only because it shows how an ordinary man can do something extraordinary, but because it allows audiences the opportunity to watch an extraordinary actor in a performance that could have been rote, but instead is nuanced and intelligent. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It's called Pride, and, while it's neither as socially urgent as "Freedom Writers" nor as danceable and soapy as "Stomp the Yard," it's better acted and tougher to resist Read full review
60
VarietyDennis Harvey
Despite a second half that feels more routine than its first, Pride is a definite crowd-pleaser. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
This is familiar terrain jazzed up by unfamiliar voices--principally Terrence Howard and his high-pitched, singsong drawl. You don't quite know what he's thinking; he might even be demented. But he keeps you watching and guessing. Read full review
60
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
If nothing else, Pride has the best sports-film soundtrack ever--Philly funk and soul, '70s style. And hell, that'll get ya wet. Read full review
60
The New York TimesMatt Zoller Seitz
The movie serves up the expected ratio of setbacks to triumphs and closes with video footage of the real Jim Ellis. But when sinewy young idealists glide through water to the tune of "I'll Take You There," the heart still leaps. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Terrence Howard delivers another solid lead performance and competition swimming is a new arena for such films. Nonetheless, Pride is just plain trite. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesSam Adams
Howard seems to be in an altogether different and substantially more idiosyncratic film. When the story calls for him to be Patton, he plays Kurtz. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Canned racial uplift and tear-streaked faces abound, though they're offset somewhat by a nicely funky blaxploitation vibe. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Sadly, the only aspect of this well-intentioned film that doesn't feel completely formulaic is its refreshingly unromantic picture of an inner-city neighborhood in the early '70s: Life in Nicetown is hard and very, very poor. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Pride has little to be proud about. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle Smith
It follows exactly the same path as both "Glory Road" (except that was basketball) and "Gridiron Gang" (football). Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
That Pride ultimately gets to you is more of a surprise than the outcome because it's not very well-constructed. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Yeah, the story is corny and tired. But when you aren't rolling your eyes, you'll probably be wiping them dry. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jason Anderson
One wishes the makers of Pride had stuck with non-fiction, because their movie reduces Ellis's story to the level of generic sports-flick hokum. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
If only the screenplay had more going for it than hackneyed homilies and living-in-the-ghetto stereotypes. If only first-time director Sunu Gonera had a surer hand, a knack for something bolder, wilder, goofier. Read full review
42
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
If Pride had concentrated on a gifted coach's teaching and training techniques, it might have been a contender. Instead, all the overheated melodrama evaporates our rooting interest. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleJosh Rosenblatt
Pride's story was etched in stone ages ago by mysterious movie powers beyond our understanding, and all the Staples Singers' songs in the world won't keep it from its appointed rounds. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Despite Mr. Howard's best efforts in the role, though, the film rarely realizes its subject's potential.
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