Critic Reviews

• J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

  Country star Toby Keith makes his acting debut in this rickety heartland drama, which was produced by Country Music Television and panders shamelessly to the traditional-values crowd.

• Joe Leydon, Variety

  It's obviously intended as a star vehicle, but Broken Bridges turns out to be a rattletrap jalopy for country music performer Toby Keith.

• Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

  A limp, timeworn tale of a drunken has-been country star (Keith) and a TV reporter he had and lost (Kelly Preston) who meet again after returning home because of a tragedy.

• Louis B. Parks, Houston Chronicle

  When you can get just as good on the Hallmark network, why drive all the way to a theater?

• Bobby Reed, Chicago Sun-Times

  Any viewer who can't predict the outcome of this modest flick must not be familiar with a certain genre to which it is indebted: the made-for-TV movie.

• Mario Tarradell, Dallas Morning News

  At every turn, Broken Bridges is filled with clichéd predictability.

• James Plath, Reel.com

  Good music, but how painfully obvious and familiar the story is, and how superficial the lines and character arcs.

• Chuck O'Leary, FulvueDrive-in.com

  The kind of trite material that seems better suited for the small screen than the big screen.

• Frank Lovece, Film Journal International

  An imperfect but emotionally true and often magnificently acted drama.

• Todd Jorgenson, Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

  Soundtrack sales seem to be the main motivation behind this corny and cliched Southern melodrama that marks the film debut of country music star Toby Keith.

• Collin Souter, eFilmCritic.com

  It feels about as sincere and insightful as a Schlitz-induced rendition of Achy-Breaky Heart.

• Josh Rosenblatt, Austin Chronicle

  Director Goldmann, who cut his teeth directing videos for Shania Twain and Faith Hill, never misses a chance to punch-up an emotional scene with a contrived, heart-melting music performance by one or more of his stars.

• Preston Jones, Slant Magazine

  Broken Bridges is wrapped tight in the cloak of good intentions, soft-pedaling tired tripe about redemption, reconciliation, and finding solace in the bottle.

• Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide

  The Country Music Channel's first foray into feature filmmaking is sickly sweet and thoroughly predictable.

• Erik Childress, eFilmCritic.com

  It would have served Keith better to pick a project that didn't accentuate a character who stumbles around an aimless plot with the same confusion of Bruce Banner coming down from one of his 'smash' moods.

• Scott Tobias, AV Club

  Broken Bridges is one of those movies where most scenes start with a character staring out over a pond, sitting on a porch, or looking at an old photograph, just waiting to reminisce with whoever sidles up next to them.

• Luke Y. Thompson, E! Online

  Strictly for fans of Keith, or drunk people with bemused contempt for same.

• Jason Ferguson, Orlando Weekly

  The most uncritical, red-state fans of the ridiculously imposing country star will get exactly the sort of thinly plotted, poorly dialogued, feel-good flick they expect, while anyone else will wonder why this film deserved a green light.

• Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

  Keith remains as rigid as a bookcase.

Read all 19 critic reviews