Gospel Hill (2008)

33% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
36% of users liked it
(511 ratings)

Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, and Samuel L. Jackson headline actor-turned-director Giancarlo Esposito's ensemble drama about a small southern town still haunted by a racially motivated murder that occurred there thirty years prior. Civil rights activist Peter Malcolm (Jackson) was at… More Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles, and Samuel L. Jackson headline actor-turned-director Giancarlo Esposito's ensemble drama about a small southern town still haunted by a racially motivated murder that occurred there thirty years prior. Civil rights activist Peter Malcolm (Jackson) was at the peak of his popularity when he was ruthlessly gunned down in the streets of Gospel Hill. Thirty years later, no one has ever been accused of the crime, and Peter's brother John (Glover) has withdrawn from the community to ponder the full weight of his brother's unfulfilled mission in solitude. As John sinks ever deeper into a bottomless sea of despair, his wife Sarah (Bassett), an outspoken community activist, campaigns tirelessly against a ruthless band of developers seeking to transform Gospel Hill into a golfer's paradise. Realizing the futility of convincing her listless husband to help fight such an arduous battle, Sarah instead turns to newly arrived Gospel Hill schoolteacher Rosie (Stiles) for support. Later, as Rosie's budding romance with the son of Gospel Hill's notoriously bigoted sheriff thrusts her right into the middle of the town's long-running dispute, the developer's plan to pave over the past forces the locals to finally confront the ghosts that have haunted them for the past three decades. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Giancarlo Esposito
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Feb 9, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Feb 10, 2009

Critic Reviews

Stephen Holden, New York Times
So completely lacking in his eye for revealing detail and his ear for colloquial speech that it feels less like a movie than an incomplete first draft of a well-meaning if unsophisticated essay.
Ronnie Scheib, Variety
The potentially thought-provoking concept of historical reconciliation is ill served by a half-baked script that reduces every cliched plot point to jaw-dropping levels of preachiness.
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
A Sunday school parable about the difference between good versus evil. Can I get an Amen?
Kam Williams, Sly Fox
A Sunday school parable about the difference between good versus evil. Can I get an Amen?
S. James Snyder, Time Out New York
It's a familiar formula: Greedy suits touting high-rise schematics and targeting blue-collar citizens end up locking horns with a local firebrand. Guess who wins?
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
Subtleties are thin on the ground, but the elements of social injustice, racial tension and character conflicts make the film engaging enough
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
There's nothing too fancy about the Gospel Hill DVD release, as is common for ultra-low-profile movies like this one.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
It's hard to say harsh things about a movie as earnest and well intentioned as Gospel Hill. But we've got to do what we've got to do, now, don't we?

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Nicki M

Okay to have on in the background, but not really exciting enough to want to sit and give it your undivided attention. I think I mainly rented this one as Julia Stiles was in it, Is a well acted movie, but never really rises above feeling like a made for tv film.