Ari McNally

Boring, bland faith and family fodder with good intentions. Saw this with my family at the early access premier. It had a touch of humor, but never really showed us the depth of the Herdman's naughtiness or really any depth at all. Most humor was weak and fell flat. Very pandering to Christian audiences, wanting to rock the boat without rocking the boat. The characters didn't do that much of anything, which made ot hard to sympathize with anyone who wasn't the Herdmans, including the mom who's supposed to be struggling. The best character performance was Immogene, but any scene by herself is quickly ruined by another character invading her scene and giving her condescending advice and manipulating her. It was honestly sickening to see this town's refusal to care for these impoverished children. The movie has a poor way of reasoning, leaving so many confusing details that didn't make much sense or have any relevance. It genuinely feels like all the fun footage was cut.

Honestly, a childhood favorite that still touches today. With an amazing soundtrack, witty writing, and wonderful performances an emotional, realistic, and charming coming-of-age tale from one of Disney's most unlikely characters. It's funny, but also very endearing with surprising valuable grown-up messages amongst classic Disney hijinks. Utter bliss to watch, over and over.