Touching Home (2008)

Critic Reviews

• Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

  Handsome but standard-issue heartland fare.

• Dennis Harvey, Variety

  The offscreen story of these unknowns getting their autobiographical drama to the screen proves more interesting and inspiring than the polished, earnest, rather routine movie itself.

• Stephen Holden, New York Times

  Without making a fuss about it, Touching Home looks squarely at working-class people for whom professional sports are not just a fantasy, they are also a way out of a dead-end existence.

• Lou Lumenick, New York Post

  While the Millers have a physical presence, they're hardly actors. In fact, it's often difficult to tell them apart, although one of them is missing a tooth and takes off his shirt a lot.

• Rex Reed, New York Observer

  The story behind Touching Home is more inspiring than the film itself, but don't let that deter you. It's the kind of can-do miracle that reminds us all that anything can happen and everything is possible.

• Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice

  Incidentally, the film has an Inspirational True Story (and tie-in book) behind it, which comes across not at all in the rather formulaic stuff that's actually onscreen.

• Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

  A heartfelt albeit slightly contrived drama that boasts a brave, emotionally resonant performance by Ed Harris as well as inspirational messages about the important virtues of courage, love, hope, passion and family.

• Eric Hynes, Time Out New York

  Although convincing as athletes, neither Miller belongs on a movie screen; personal parable or not, this feels like a too-familiar trip around the bases.

• Kelly Vance, East Bay Express

  On the sweet side of bittersweet, but will not rot your teeth.

• Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine

  Touching Home strenuously aspires to the same sort of greatness that has alluded many a film before it, like the heavy-handed, Gone with the Wind-grubbing Raintree Country.

• Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine

  The story behind brothers Logan and Noah Miller getting their movie made is almost better than what's on screen but the film is heartfelt and engaging enough to be worthy of attention.

• Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

  This thing is marketed six ways to Sunday, designed and directed for every occasion. The finished movie is almost beside the point.

Read all 12 critic reviews