44
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeIt’s all engineered to pay off in familiar ways, though the movie isn’t quite as predictable as you might think.
- 67The Film StageJared MobarakThe Film StageJared MobarakThe delineation between good and evil maybe a bit too black-and-white throughout, but none of those aspects remove the potency of the lessons learned along the way.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleCary DarlingSan Francisco ChronicleCary DarlingThe results may be sports-movie predictable in many ways, but the Mighty Mites’ impossible story is one deserving of resurrection from the dusty archives of Texas history.
- 50RogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarRogerEbert.comCarlos AguilarWholesome in the most “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” brand of mythical Americanism, 12 Mighty Orphans is engineered to rouse emotions with uncritical pride, never reaching the less immaculate corners of the historical period it employs as canvas.
- 50The PlaylistAndrew CrumpThe PlaylistAndrew CrumpUltimately it’s very little about football. It’s about class. This is a theme worthy of a spotlight, too — but 12 Mighty Orphans isn’t the place for it, or it shouldn’t be.
- 50Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanIf you’re looking for that kind of moral-rich message, delivered with equal amounts of sincerity and syrup, congratulations: You may have found the mythical source from which all other malarkey springs.
- 50The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloThe A.V. ClubMike D'Angelo12 Mighty Orphans tells the true story of a Depression-era high school football team improbably formed at a Texas orphanage, but the screenplay may as well have been invented from whole cloth, given its relentlessly formulaic nature.
- 40Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonLuke Wilson and Martin Sheen are respectably earnest as the caretakers of these blandly noble underdogs, but this sepia-tinged portrait slavishly follows the playbook at every turn — which is ironic since it’s a film meant to honour a coach who won by being inventive.
- 38Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreAs a director, Roberts comes off as more of a producer. He can get a movie made, he’s just damned artless in making it.
- 20Austin ChronicleJenny NulfAustin ChronicleJenny NulfThere is no denying that being parentless during the Great Depression called for a lot of resilience, but 12 Mighty Orphans’ underdog story unfortunately plays out to farce levels of entertainment.