Charlotte Observer by Lawrence Toppman

I have never seen elementary schoolers more passionate about education than the ones I met at a school in rural Kenya, not far from the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Variety

The uplifting true story of world's oldest primary school student, The First Grader reels you in with its human-interest hook, but packs an even more vital agenda: enlisting Kenyan locals to share little-known details of their nation's independence.

The Hollywood Reporter

Chadwick strikes a perfect balance between humor and tragic gravity, and the result is that an unknown story seems certain to stir the hearts of audiences worldwide.

Los Angeles Times by Betsy Sharkey

Anchored by a lovely performance from Oliver Litondo as Maruge and an exuberant Naomie Harris as Jane Obinchu, the school principal who champions his cause, the result is a tearful, joyful, imperfect, yet nearly irresistible ode to the human spirit.

Variety by Peter Debruge

The uplifting true story of world's oldest primary school student, The First Grader reels you in with its human-interest hook, but packs an even more vital agenda: enlisting Kenyan locals to share little-known details of their nation's independence.

The Hollywood Reporter by Stephen Farber

Chadwick strikes a perfect balance between humor and tragic gravity, and the result is that an unknown story seems certain to stir the hearts of audiences worldwide.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Rick Groen

This is potentially compelling, but truncated flashbacks are far too crude a mechanism for exploring not only the intricacies of that tumultuous period in Kenyan history but also its ongoing legacy.

San Francisco Chronicle by Amy Biancolli

For all of its brutal flashbacks and heavy-handed devices, The First Grader works best when it works quietly.

The A.V. Club

The First Grader offers a tumultuous but uplifting journey.

Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer

Better than bland but never quite rises above the level of a pretty good TV movie of the week.

The A.V. Club by Alison Willmore

The First Grader offers a tumultuous but uplifting journey.

Orlando Sentinel by Roger Moore

Never graduates to the uplifting tale it sets out to be.

New York Daily News by Joe Neumaier

Director Justin Chadwick ("The Other Boleyn Girl") shows admirable restraint bringing this true story to the screen, and Litando does much with glimmers of emotion and wells of dignity.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

Plays more like a teaching tool than a dynamic drama.

New York Post by V.A. Musetto

Too bad the script is predictable at every turn.

The New York Times by A.O. Scott

This ambition - to provoke thought while tugging at heartstrings - makes The First Grader fascinating and frustrating in almost equal measure.

Village Voice

Chadwick veers frequently into flashbacks to Maruge's past as a Mau Mau resistance fighter-mostly prolonged scenes of torture and violence that do little to inform or propel the present-day story. Poorly defined tribal lines flare up, and Jane's life is threatened, the point at which the script's Hollywood contrivances open up and swallow this often charming film whole.

Time Out by Eric Hynes

A lot of history gets horned into this undeniably inspirational parable, though slick execution and simplistic storytelling make it a lesson suitable only for easily impressed elementary-school students.