42
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIt's about change, acceptance and love, and it rounds those three bases very nicely, even if it never quite gets to home.
- 75Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittJohn Turteltaub directed the drama, which lapses into medical jargon and new-age clichés near the end, but it scores telling points with its respect for intelligence and optimistic view of human potential.
- 50ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliPut simply, this movie is dumb.
- 50San Francisco ChroniclePeter StackSan Francisco ChroniclePeter StackBut this soggy, sentimental tour through a rural dreamworld of salt-of- the-earth versus supercharged intelligence never quite gets deep enough to touch the soul -- or to make sense.
- 50San Francisco ExaminerBarbara ShulgasserSan Francisco ExaminerBarbara ShulgasserAs always, Duvall is magnificent. Even in this small part, he manages to give one of the most stirring performances in the movie.
- 40The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinA whopping wrong turn throws this lightweight, benign-looking movie terminally off course.
- 40Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonWhile Phenomenon attempts, tritely, to ascend into mind-blowing significance, it also plummets into a pit of sentimental mush.
- 30Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonStill, well-intentioned sappiness is something we can deal with; the lack of any genuine dramatic conflict is a more damaging shortcoming.
- 30Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenPhenomenon flails about in a search for direction: inspirational drama, romance, social study, government intrigue- nothing fits or is explored very deeply.
- 30Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumI don't doubt the noble motives behind this Disney parable, but the attempts at amiable, laid-back dialogue (script by Gerald DiPego) are painful, the pacing is sluggish, and the confused story's poorly focused.