Variety by Derek Elley

Marvelously involving family saga.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

It evokes the atmosphere of a Sergio Leone Western, sneaking up under the movie's human comedy and adding a smile.

San Francisco Chronicle by Carla Meyer

Charming family story.

The New York Times by A.O. Scott

What really separates "Midlands" from Leone's desiccated, terse genre work is Mr. Meadows's doting attention to his characters' decency. It gives a demonstrative bittersweetness to a likable but small story.

Washington Post by Ann Hornaday

Always predictable in its outcome, but it still retains a certain charm, mostly because of Meadows's cheerful sympathy and affection for his motley crew of characters.

The A.V. Club by Nathan Rabin

Sharply drawn and well-acted.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

There are instances when the filmmaker tries for Western iconography and settles for ''Full Monty'' ingratiation.

New York Post by Megan Lehmann

Just Brit filmmaker Shane Meadows having some fun with the conventions of the spaghetti western.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) by Stephen Cole

The film's best players can all be found in the supporting cast.

Boston Globe by Ty Burr

Pure bangers-and-mash realism: a spotty yet ingratiating working-class farce that suggests a Mike Leigh movie with opera buffa tendencies.

Village Voice by Jessica Winter

There are pages missing from this fable: Meadows reports that his financiers asked him to cut one-quarter of his original script just before production began, and his fondness for long takes sits uneasily beside the apparent gaps in the narrative.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Sean Axmaker

It's an interesting experiment that doesn't quite work.

L.A. Weekly by Ella Taylor

A movie saved by great acting.

Los Angeles Times

It's a compelling and ambitious idea, but one that misfires because of its underwhelming characters and slack storytelling.

TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh

The complications are predictable, as is the resolution; what keeps the film from sinking into its own inconsequentiality is the throaty-voiced Henderson, who can make the most preposterous behavior ring absolutely true.

New York Daily News by Jami Bernard

After 45 minutes of incomparable boredom, the movie gets slightly better when it stops reaching for cheap yuks and lets the actors do what they do well.