51
Metascore
14 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliAlthough the movie has a conventional structure, the straightforward chronological approach works for this material, allowing the viewer to come to know Cabrini and become invested in her efforts to develop an orphanage, first in New York’s Five Points slum then in rural West Park.
- 75RogerEbert.comTomris LafflyRogerEbert.comTomris LafflyCabrini is in no way a perfect movie, but a damn dignified one that honors the little-known efforts of these fearless women.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperIn September of 1946, two months after Mother Cabrini was canonized, more than 100,000 gathered at Soldier Field for a Holy Hour celebration. “Cabrini” the film is a fine reminder of why she was so revered by so many.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe film, which feels overlong at 145 minutes, suffers both from repetition and an over-reliance on melodramatic plot devices. But it nonetheless delivers a compelling portrait of a heroine whose story is too little-known.
- 60Screen RantStephen HollandScreen RantStephen HollandAt its core, Cabrini is a feminist story whose bloated 140-minute runtime slightly overstays its welcome, but also packs an emotional punch for those willing to accept its message.
- 60The GuardianLeslie FelperinThe GuardianLeslie FelperinCabrini’s story is rather absorbing and the film offers a lushly mounted portrait of life in 1880s New York, when immigration was just as much of a contentious issue as it is today.
- 50Washington PostAnn HornadayWashington PostAnn HornadayAs a straightforward biopic of a woman whose name is much better known than her story, “Cabrini” fulfills its mission with the same purposeful earnestness of its subject. It’s a movie even the most secular of humanists can love.
- 42IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichIt’s as if “Cabrini” is trying to separate the Christian ideals of the saint’s teachings from the political realities of putting them into practice; as if it’s trying to flatter the moral principles of its conservative audience without pushing that crowd to embody them. Just scan the QR code in the credits, pay a few movie tickets forward, and let the hard work of solving anti-immigrant discrimination become somebody else’s problem.
- 30The New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanThe New York TimesNatalia WinkelmanIt’s inspiring stuff, rendered stodgy and repetitive.
- 30The Daily BeastTim GriersonThe Daily BeastTim GriersonCabrini is a respectful biopic designed to shed light on a forgotten woman whose charitable acts deserve recognition. It’s also so stultifyingly dutiful you may find yourself missing Sound of Freedom’s tawdry watchability.