Boston Globe by Jay Carr

Involvingly acted, surehandedly crafted.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

Falls so far outside our ordinary story expectations it may frustrate some viewers.

Chicago Tribune by Michael Wilmington

Beautifully produced: a moving film with a fascinating story and exemplary acting.

Newsweek by Andrea C. Basora

Thomas is supported in his first directorial endeavor by a truly spectacular cast.

Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum

The narrative kept me glued to my seat.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

Where the movie falters is in sustaining the tricky balance between pastoral life lessons and creepy suspense.

The New York Times by Stephen Holden

Would seem hokey if it didn't have powerful, extraordinary central performances and cinematography that lends the English landscape around Cornwall a mythical cast.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer by William Arnold

It's a movie brimming with good intentions, solid production values and searing performances. However, it never quite clicks into place with any real satisfaction.

Miami Herald by Curtis Morgan

The effort is earnest, but the plot turns more and more implausible.

TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh

This moody film is ravishingly beautiful to look at -- but the story's fairy tale atmosphere doesn't entirely mesh with its psychological underpinnings.

Los Angeles Times by Gene Seymour

There's something plodding and uncomfortably strident about Little Animals that keeps the audience from sharing, much less understanding, Bobby's enchantment.

New York Daily News by Jami Bernard

Hurt is slumming in an unchallenging role.

L.A. Weekly

Three leads do their best with simplistic characters.

Film.com by John Hartl

Simplistic on one level, indecipherable on another, it's a most peculiar muddle.