Soul Surfer
TriStar Pictures | Release Date: April 8, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
14
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreApr 6, 2011
The best faith-based film ever made, an uplifting, entertaining and wonderfully-acted account of surfer Bethany Hamilton's life before and after a shark bit her arm off in the waters off her favorite Hawaiian beach. Read full review
80
The New York TimesAndy WebsterApr 7, 2011
As a portrait of a spirited, resilient athlete, the movie succeeds best, unafraid to face its heroine's daunting challenges directly. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie OgleApr 10, 2011
It's a good, solid family film. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanApr 7, 2011
Soul Surfer, while formulaic in design, is an authentic and heartfelt movie. Read full review
70
MovielineStephanie ZacharekApr 11, 2011
Thus ends one of the most understated shark-attack sequences, ever; it's almost Bressonian, except it's not boring. Read full review
70
VarietyRob NelsonMar 30, 2011
Distinguished by splashy cinematography, engaging performances from Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt as the girl's go-get-'em parents. Read full review
67
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallApr 6, 2011
The sermons are subtle, raising the film's chances of crossing over to secular audiences. Soul Surfer is so clean that it squeaks, but sometimes that's a nice change of pace. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchJoe WilliamsApr 8, 2011
It's a compelling tale of surf and survival. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertApr 7, 2011
I feel something is missing. There had to be dark nights of the soul. Times of grief and rage. The temptation of nihilism. The lure of despair. Can a 13-year-old girl lose an arm and keep right on smiling? Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisApr 7, 2011
The best moments come when Robb's all-purpose toughness experiences vulnerable doubt. These moments are flickers, but they're bright and human. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesGlenn WhippApr 7, 2011
That Soul Surfer rates as a giant leap for this team speaks well about the conviction the movie's actors bring to the material as well as the respect afforded the Hamiltons and their faith. Read full review
60
Time OutJoshua RothkopfApr 6, 2011
Superb limb-erasing effects and lush cinematography are bonuses, though not so much the cloying presence of American Idol's Carrie Underwood. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttMar 30, 2011
A true story of courage, determination and guts that deserves a more exciting approach. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonApr 7, 2011
Unique as an inspirational personal-achievement film in the way it focuses on the protagonist not merely as a bastion of strength, but as part of a supportive community and family. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerApr 10, 2011
Hamilton is played, blandly, by Anna Sophia Robb, and her devoted parents, less bland, are played by Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt. The surfing footage, much of it shot off the coast of Kauai, is not bland at all. Read full review
50
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottApr 8, 2011
McNamara's relentlessly shiny, happy outlook crosses the line between believable and artificial by about the 10-minute mark. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenApr 7, 2011
Soul Surfer is a true story that plays like bad fiction. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubApr 7, 2011
The script is weak, but everyone on the technical side of "Soul Surfer" is a pro. The scenes in the water flow together nicely, and the action is always coherent. Robb's scenes without an arm look seamless throughout the movie. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia PuigApr 7, 2011
The inspiring story of surfer and shark attack victim Bethany Hamilton deserves a better dramatization. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea GronvallApr 7, 2011
AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) is too subdued as the teenage heroine; one might expect more affect from a young woman fighting to overcome disability and return to competitive surfing. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierApr 8, 2011
Dennis Quaid lends some needed saltiness as Hamilton's supportive dad. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovApr 7, 2011
Comes across as a particularly unspecial "Very Special Episode" of a television series that never made it past the pilot stage. Read full review
40
Village VoiceAaron HillisApr 5, 2011
Soul Surfer offers a ghastlier sight than your wildest "127 Hours"–meets-"Jaws" nightmare: barefaced Christian pandering that pretends it isn't. Read full review
40
Boxoffice MagazineSteve RamosApr 5, 2011
Sappy melodrama, clumsy dialogue and heavy-handed proselytizing derail the inspirational story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton. Read full review
38
New York PostLou LumenickApr 8, 2011
You'd think it would be hard to make an uninteresting movie based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton... But the terminally bland Soul Surfer comes perilously close. Read full review
38
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanApr 7, 2011
The swells of inspirational storytelling sometimes threaten to swamp the underlying inspirational story. Read full review
38
Philadelphia InquirerDavid HiltbrandApr 7, 2011
The aquatic and surf scenes are spectacular. The story, a clichéed climb to inspiration. Soul Surfer is more parable than plot. Read full review
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