30
The sage-elder/wayward-charge saga Peaceful Warrior aims for inspirational highs but mostly feels like a self-help book read aloud by actors.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
40
You'd have to be either an avid New Ager or willing to see Nick Nolte in absolutely anything to get fully onboard for this visually overexcited tale of salvation-by-gas-station-guru.
50
Portland Oregonian by M. E. Russell
You might be better off reading the book and imagining Nolte as Socrates.
63
TV Guide Magazine by Maitland McDonagh
The result is something close to a textbook example of how NOT to visualize spiritual principles of the "be here now" variety.
25
Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer
This woozily uplifting saga is big on homilies and deficient in just about everything else.
50
Mere recitation of homilies for better living -- which is what Nick Nolte's gas station guru imparts to a struggling young gymnast -- and a half-baked account of the athlete's comeback are no substitutes for a complete movie.
50
San Francisco Chronicle by Ruthe Stein
The film is better than it has any right to be, considering the prosaic source.
58
Entertainment Weekly by Scott Brown
In the ranks of improbable gymnastics coaches, Nick Nolte falls just below the cartoon version of Mr. T.
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Sheri Linden
Strong performances by Scott Mechlowicz as Millman and Nick Nolte as the mysterious mechanic who changes his life ground the film in effective drama.
58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer by William Arnold
Cult-favorite director Victor Salva ("Jeepers Creepers" I & II) is a competent visual storyteller and the film believes in itself so strongly (and with such a straight face) that it's hard not to halfway enjoy it.