The Work and the Glory (2004)

17% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
85% of users liked it
(5,784 ratings)

When the Steed family relocates to upstate New York from their long-time home in Vermont, religious strife threatens to destroy their close-knit relationship in director Russel Holt's screen adaptation of author Gerald N. Lund's best-selling romance novel. A hardworking family whose struggle to… More When the Steed family relocates to upstate New York from their long-time home in Vermont, religious strife threatens to destroy their close-knit relationship in director Russel Holt's screen adaptation of author Gerald N. Lund's best-selling romance novel. A hardworking family whose struggle to adapt to the ways of Palmyra is complicated when they find that their hired help is embedded in a tense religious controversy. The Steeds' situation grows increasingly dire when both siblings fall for the daughter of a wealthy merchant. The more the family struggles to unbind themselves from the all-consuming religious firestorm, the tighter they are bound to a town that could shake the very foundation of their existence. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Russell Holt
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Nov 24, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Apr 26, 2005
Studio: Excel Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Handsomely mounted but awfully bland.
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
Ultimately stumbles in its mission to make the founding of the Mormon religion interesting to a general audience.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
A pretty but weakly written and acted period piece.
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic
It's hard to imagine this movie capturing an audience outside the Mormon community.
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
Offers an efficient and often credible, if overly sanitized, look at the time, place and circumstances in which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was born.
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com
It occasionally catches its balance with bright supporting characters or compelling scenes, but then it stumbles again with mild scenes of characters having spiritual crises.
John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
Earnest, admirable and pretty, but about as compelling as one of the blander episodes of 'Little House on the Prairie.'
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
...plays strictly to the faithful -- most anyone else will have trouble taking Joseph Smith seriously as a non-delusional human being.
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times
A likable, ambitious film that does its proselytizing in a roundabout way until its clumsy, final half-hour.
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
There's no denying there's a compelling movie in the life of the founder of the Mormon church, and there's also no denying that The Work and the Glory is not that film.
Jeff Vice, Deseret News, Salt Lake City
With improved production values also come high expectations, especially in terms of storytelling. So when the plotting and a few of the performances are just so-so, it's hard not to think of the film as at least a bit of a disappointment.
Audrey Rock-Richardson, Tooele Transcript-Bulletin (Utah)
A smoothly mixed religious drama with all the professional production value you could expect from any film