In an effort to tap into his original talent, a wheelchair-bound author moves to a rural town, where he befriends a single mother and her three kids, who help reignite his passion for writing.
If this were real life and not a movie, Mr. Wildhorn would be written off as a crank and ostracized within a week.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
12 Jul 2012
rotten:
It's earnest, predictable and disposable.
– Kerry Lengel,
Arizona Republic,
12 Jul 2012
fresh:
You can quarrel with the smiley-face outcome of every ordeal, but the tenderness and optimism are so powerful and ingratiating that only a viewer with the darkest sensibility will go away untouched.
– Rex Reed,
New York Observer,
12 Jul 2012
fresh:
Shamelessly schmaltzy and predictable from first moment to last, Rob Reiner's The Magic of Belle Isle nonetheless manages to conjure a certain spell.
– Frank Scheck,
Hollywood Reporter,
9 Jul 2012
rotten:
Madsen, a strong actress who might have matched Freeman, is portrayed in varying shades of blandness. Even Freeman, good as his is, is held back here.