47
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Village VoiceChuck WilsonVillage VoiceChuck Wilson[A] hokey but effective adaptation.
- 70VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeWhile uneven in places, The Great Gilly Hopkins works because it boasts an actress tough enough for the title role.
- 63RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyRogerEbert.comGlenn KennyA spectacularly foursquare “family is what you make it” redemption story. The kind of thing that film critics like to dismiss as “looking like a made-for-TV movie,” as if that comparison/analogy even holds as a dismissal anymore.
- 60The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe title character is a child, but two adult actors, Kathy Bates and Glenn Close, really give The Great Gilly Hopkins its considerable heart. This movie, though uneven, is affecting because of these two reliable stars.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Great Gilly Hopkins has its enjoyable moments — Bates' entertaining, scenery-chewing turn providing many of them — and its themes are refreshingly complex for a film targeted to kids.
- 42The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThe A.V. ClubJesse HassengerThe whole movie falls between stylization, which it mostly lacks, and realism, which it can’t quite claim with its non-teenage teenager spouting non-swearing swears.
- 40Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinCharacters and situations are painted in such simple, broad strokes, we’re asked to take much at face value.
- 12Slant MagazineDiego SemereneSlant MagazineDiego SemereneGlenn Close's face teems with a flawlessly controlled gravitas that’s completely at odds with the film’s ordinariness.