The Water Man
RLJE Films | Release Date: May 7, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
8
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyMay 7, 2021
Children absorb everything, good and bad, all the stresses, heartbreak, anxiety of the adults around them. Children can handle the difficult things. Oyelowo knows this and respects it. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMay 6, 2021
From the get-go, we have a pretty good sense of where The Water Man will take us, and while there are a few small surprises along the way, the real delight is the journey itself and how the real bond of a family is stronger than any monsters lurking in the dark. Read full review
80
Screen DailyWendy IdeMay 7, 2021
The directorial debut from David Oyelowo is a rewarding, (older) family-friendly adventure which packs some crisply executed moments of nail-biting peril into a moving story which deals with grief, loss and newly forged friendships. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMay 7, 2021
Oyelowo is sure-footed in his feature directing debut, delivering a smart and wholesome picture with about as little sentimentality as such a tale can have. Read full review
80
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeMay 7, 2021
Amid the excitement — those bugs, a pack of wild horses, a looming forest fire — the film finds room to explore bigger issues, like living life to the fullest even when death is inevitable, and the fact that the toughest-acting kids are often the most vulnerable. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerMay 6, 2021
In a time when happy endings seem in short supply, The Water Man's sense of heroic wonder is the kid-sized epic we need. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Johanna SchnellerMay 7, 2021
The Water Man myth feels incomplete. What is magical, though, is the chance to root for a young Black male hero as he navigates a family crisis that’s both specific and universal, and not based on race. Read full review
75
ABC NewsPeter TraversMay 7, 2021
Actor David Oyelowo makes a heartfelt directing debut in a PG adventure about a boy (Lonnie Chavez) in search of a mythic creature who might save his dying mother. Even when the pace drags, the film remains a rare gift for family audiences. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayMay 5, 2021
Oyelowo brings a thoughtful sensibility and thoroughgoing good taste to the kind of movie Hollywood doesn’t produce anymore but shouldn’t be so quick to discard. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeMay 7, 2021
An engaging for-kids ghost story whose fantasy elements are thoughtfully grounded by real-world concerns. Read full review
66
Paste MagazineAdesola ThomasMay 6, 2021
Despite it all, The Water Man’s adventurous premise ultimately redeems it from its tonal confusion and scrappy character work. It’s narratively propelled by the intriguing belief that belief itself is one of the most life-sustaining forces there is. Read full review
65
PolygonRobert DanielsMay 7, 2021
f not for the uptempo rhythm, The Water Man’s thin plotting would make it a slog. If not for Oyelowo’s handsomely mounted camera capturing the forest in supernatural blues and reds, the audience’s attention might wander to their phones. Thankfully, the well-executed components support the fairy tale when the tale itself runs short. Read full review
63
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiMay 6, 2021
Off-screen, Oyelowo moves the camera elegantly, and he creates a few cool moments in the woods. Read full review
60
The GuardianBenjamin LeeMay 7, 2021
Premiering as one of the more proudly mainstream offerings at this year’s Toronto film festival, David Oyelowo’s sweet-natured family adventure The Water Man gives us our first look at a commercial conductor in training, aiming to excite and thrill with adventure while making an unashamed appeal to our emotions shortly after, a Spielbergian combination that many have tried and failed to perfect. Read full review
60
The New York TimesGlenn KennyMay 6, 2021
The keen affinity the actor David Oyelowo has for his fellow performers is the best thing about The Water Man. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneJessica KiangMay 5, 2021
Its sincerity and solidity are never in doubt — the actor’s directorial career is certainly off to a clean-lined, competent start. But it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is the sort of film that fond parents wish their children would love, as opposed to a film their children actually will love. Read full review
58
The Film StageJared MobarakMay 7, 2021
Chavis and Miller excel at living in the complicated areas of their characters’ psyches and the supporting cast doesn’t miss a beat in allowing them the room to do so, I think Oyelowo’s refusal to go all the way with the fantasy makes what little there is trivial. Read full review
50
IGNSiddhant AdlakhaMay 6, 2021
Despite the powerful child performance at its center, David Oyelowo’s The Water Man struggles to focus on more than one narrative or visual idea at a time. Read full review
50
CNNBrian LowryMay 6, 2021
Oyelowo's film delivers its simple message to appreciate the people you love ably enough, without leaving the intended ripples in its wake. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreMay 4, 2021
The Water Man is a gorgeous looking tween fantasy/adventure in the “Bridge to Terabithia” tradition, well-cast and designed to tug at the heartstrings. But the feature directing debut of co-star David Oyelowo (“Selma”) is a Bridge to Nowhere — dramatically flat and emotionally lacking. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesCarlos AguilarMay 6, 2021
Heavy-handed acting from the young cast and Needell’s hackneyed dialogue further unmask the movie’s lack of visual wonder and narrative cohesiveness. Read full review
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