The Way
Arc Entertainment | Release Date: October 7, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
7
Negative:
2
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallOct 19, 2011
They're an entertaining foursome, and Estevez guides them through lovely scenery, clever sight gags and personal confessions with leisurely skill. Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnOct 9, 2011
Estevez treats the drama with a straight-faced, utterly earnest approach with dual respect for the material and the audience's awareness of how it can go wrong. By playing it straight, The Way never goes off the deep end. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumOct 5, 2011
There's a contemplative loveliness to The Way, an affecting personal project both for Emilio Estevez, who wrote, directed, and plays a small role, and for his father, Martin Sheen. Read full review
80
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerOct 6, 2011
The beauty of the movie, in fact, is that Mr. Estevez does not make explicit what any of them find, beyond friendship. He lets these four fine actors convey that true personal transformations are not announced with fanfare, but happen internally. Read full review
80
EmpireAngie ErrigoOct 2, 2011
Gentle, likable and profoundly touching, it makes you want to dig out the hiking boots and make the same journey. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia PuigNov 10, 2011
Unafraid of stillness and scenes of quiet contemplation, the film also celebrates companionship and community, which are all good reasons to embrace the experience along The Way. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonOct 7, 2011
Pleasant, well-acted but somewhat overlong, The Way was written and directed by Estevez, who's perhaps best known for his acting career ("The Breakfast Club"). Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerOct 7, 2011
Estevez directs with ease and assurance but, both internally and externally, not enough happens to these people. Read full review
75
New York PostLou LumenickOct 7, 2011
There's nothing startlingly original about Estevez's screenplay, yet it has a modesty you seldom see when Hollywood tackles spiritual subjects. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter TraversOct 6, 2011
Estevez keeps his touch light, with a minimum of pedantry. The Way is really a gift from this son to his father. Sheen, gradually revealing a man painfully getting reacquainted with long buried feelings, who gives the film its bruised heart. Read full review
75
Washington PostAnn HornadayOct 6, 2011
Funny, moving, hip and transcendent all at the same time, The Way is both deeply thoughtful and enormous fun to watch. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaOct 6, 2011
A heartfelt project, scrappy and engaging, The Way has its way with audiences despite, not because of, its sentimental excess. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertOct 5, 2011
It's a sweet and sincere family pilgrimage, even if a little too long and obvious. Audiences seeking uplift will find it here. Read full review
75
Orlando SentinelRoger MooreOct 2, 2011
It's a plucky film that covers a lot of ground and uncovers this wonderful, ancient ritual that people of many faiths and from all walks of life take on. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenOct 6, 2011
The gentle drama offers an intriguing look at the contemporary version of an ancient ritual, and is anchored by the on-screen work of the writer-director's father, Martin Sheen. But Estevez doesn't push far enough, opting to focus on generic lessons in camaraderie and the primacy of the moment. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'HehirOct 6, 2011
If The Way is sometimes shaggy and inelegant, and flirts with sentimentality the whole way through, I was finally overcome by its dignity and sincerity, and by the rough, rude, gorgeous magic of its journey. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKimberley JonesOct 13, 2011
The Way never arrives anywhere you couldn't see coming a mile away, but it does so with such empathy that its conclusions feel comforting rather than overly predictable. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianMarc MohanOct 6, 2011
The performances are solid, the cinematography is stunning, and the setting is intriguing. But the whole thing feels bloodless, hitting us over the head with its understatedness. Anytime a film's soundtrack features The Shins, James Taylor, and Nick Drake, you know you're in for an overly laid back time. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonOct 5, 2011
Essentially, The Way starts out as "Eat Pray Love" and takes a long, surprising trip toward becoming David Lynch's "The Straight Story." And that's a longer trip than a mere monthlong trek across Spain. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicKerry LengelOct 13, 2011
One can forgive the trying-too-hard aphorisms -- "You don't choose a life ... you live one" -- but savvy cinephiles are sure to be annoyed by Tyler Bates' hypnotic ambient-folk soundtrack, studded with such despoiled musical gems as Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" and the Shins' "New Slang." Read full review
60
Chicago ReaderBen SachsOct 6, 2011
Estevez strains to prove his earnestness at every turn, undermining the film's good intentions with a surfeit of explanatory dialogue and a sappy adult-contemporary soundtrack. But for all his awkwardness Estevez is undeniably sincere, regarding both people and nature with disarming good will and maintaining a steady, soothing pace that allows the life lessons to resonate. Read full review
60
Time OutAlison WillmoreOct 4, 2011
It works better as an idyllic travelogue through northern Spain than as a familial drama; despite the real-life relationship between filmmaker and star. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenNov 3, 2011
The pilgrimage is still long but, even with the crosses they bear, these are pilgrims lite – perhaps it's the modern way. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrOct 6, 2011
The Way is a good, cheap vacation. At times, you wonder if Estevez isn't creating a cracked therapeutic remake of "The Wizard of Oz.'' He's got the nerve and the heart, all right. I'm less sure about the brains. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 6, 2011
Here and there, the actor invests the kind of feeling that makes The Way come alive in human terms. Read full review
50
Village VoiceNick SchagerOct 4, 2011
As a director, Estevez exhibits a bland visual sense, but he does manage to convey some of his scenic locations' multifaceted textures. Mostly, though, his dramatically inert, spiritually generic The Way seems like it was far more fun to shoot than it is to endure. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleOct 20, 2011
With The Way, writer-director Emilio Estevez has made a respectable failure. What's respectable - and undeniable - is that this is a sincere effort to make a film of sensitivity and spiritual richness. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerOct 2, 2011
The making of The Way must have been a nice moment for father and son, but why must the rest of us suffer? Read full review
More From This Movie

64 Critic Reviews

7.2 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL