Critic Reviews
Home of the Brave (2006) Rank 5 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (53) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Reviews by Score:
kids-in-mind
Going boldly where "The Best Years of Our Lives" and "Coming Home" have gone before, "Home of the Brave" examines the personal battles fought on the home front by returning war vets. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at kids-in-mind
Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
Home of the Brave is a milestone of sorts. But it's a formulaic, overacted piece of work that rarely delves deep. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Christian Science Monitor (Peter Rainer)
Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
One of the important aspects of the Iraq war goes beyond the nearly 3000 American servicemen killed. There is the neglected story of the some 20,000 wounded, many of them seriously physically or psychologically. The press and the country have not dealt ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Wolf Entertainment Guide (William Wolf)
Entertainment Insiders (Janos Gereben)
Irwin Winkler's "Home of the Brave" is much more than "just a movie," even if, as such, it's a flawed one. It is, without question, an important, thought- and emotion-provoking film, certain to be controversial, and to be remembered. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Entertainment Insiders (Janos Gereben)
L.A. Daily News
More precisely, it's about vets of that war readjusting to civilian life, although director Irwin Winkler does stage a fairly impressive firefight early in the film. And that sequence is the first indication that "HOTB" might have a little more going ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at L.A. Daily News
Reel.com
Irwin Winkler's Home of the Brave is a contemporary updating of The Best Years of Our Lives that substitutes returning Iraq War veterans for returning WWII soldiers. Other than that, it's a fairly familiar entry in the kind of earnest "scarred ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Reel.com
PopMatters
âIâm going home,â exults Jamal (50 Cent). Heâs briefly happy, playing football with his fellow National Guardsmen in Iraq. Theyâre all going home, just notified that in two short weeks, their repeatedly extended tours are done. Jordan (Chad ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at PopMatters
Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)
Home of the Brave isn't exactly a subtle or a delicate picture -- it's an old-fashioned Hollywood movie, at least in tone, that's being released like an indie -- but it has some terrific acting and comes straight from the heart. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Salon.com (Andrew O'Hehir)
The Hollywood Reporter
Going boldly where "The Best Years of Our Lives" and "Coming Home" have gone before, "Home of the Brave" examines the personal battles fought on the home front by returning war vets. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at The Hollywood Reporter
Boxoffice Magazine
Sometimes a point needs to be made so badly that it can survive those entrusted to make it. So it is with Home of the Brave, a sincere, if middle-of-the-road attempt to dramatize the struggle that many Iraq War veterans face once they return to civilian ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Boxoffice Magazine
Murphy's Movie Reviews (Ted Murphy)
The cast is certainly worthy and they are clearly committed to their roles, but unfortunately HOME OF THE BRAVE just misses the mark. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Murphy's Movie Reviews (Ted Murphy)
Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)
The better part of a lifetime ago, there was a great movie called âThe Best Years of Our Lives,â which was about GIs returning from the second world war and how they coped with the transition back to their previous lives and the effect on the loved ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Greenwich Village Gazette (Eric Lurio)
EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
There was more reality, dramatic conflict, emotional texture, and even humor in The Best Years of Our Lives and The Men (Brando's debut), which were made half a century ago, than in this well intentioned but formulaic drama about vets of the Iraq War. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at EmanuelLevy.com (Emanuel Levy)
The Hollywood Reporter (Michael Rechtshaffen)
Timeliness is all very well, but the significant subject matter cries out for a defter directorial touch and a deeper complexity in regard to the characters and performances. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at The Hollywood Reporter (Michael Rechtshaffen)
Maxim (Pete Hammond)
One of the most deeply moving film experiences of the year. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Maxim (Pete Hammond)
filmcritic.com (Chris Barsanti)
Irwin Winkler's Home of the Brave is notable for being the first major narrative, non-documentary film about the Iraq War and, more specifically, veterans of that war adjusting to life back home afterward. Unfortunately, that's about all it will be ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at filmcritic.com (Chris Barsanti)
ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
Another ill-conceived war drama that doesn't do justice to the men and women serving in Iraq. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at ComingSoon.net (Edward Douglas)
TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
Mark Friedman cover all the bases, but good intentions aside, it's hard to recommend such a thin, cliched fictionalization when so many good documentaries -- The War Tapes , The Ground Truth -- feature the voices of actual soldiers. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at TV Guide's Movie Guide (Ken Fox)
Newsday (Gene Seymour)
Just because there's nothing new to see here doesn't necessarily mean there's nothing worth seeing. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Newsday (Gene Seymour)
New York Daily News (Elizabeth Weitzman)
While Mark Friedman's script is as unsubtle as Winkler's direction, their sincerity and the subject's sharp immediacy lend the film a certain power. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at New York Daily News (Elizabeth Weitzman)
Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
The intentions are good. The actors have been assembled with care, and the production is polished. But everything feels assembled, as if it were put together from blueprints. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
If I hadn't already known Home of the Brave was directed by Irwin Winkler, I would've guessed it was directed by someone who was new to the job with no previous experience. That's how astonishingly amateurish this movie feels. It's somewhat of an ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Window to the Movies (Jeffrey Chen)
Cinema Signals by The Filmiliar Cineaste
"Home of the Brave"
Irwin Winkler has given us, as a producer, some very impressive films ("The Shipping News" of 2001 and "The Net" of 1995 are my favorites. As a director, his films are far less in number and noteworthiness. His list of ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Cinema Signals by The Filmiliar Cineaste
TV Guide (Ken Fox)
Starts with a bang and ends in a long, protracted whimper. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at TV Guide (Ken Fox)
Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
Evenness of political keel, combined with a generic filmmaking style, is an artistic weapon way too puny for a successful assault on so tough, bruising, and crucial a subject. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Had Home of the Brave presented credible stories about believable characters, it might have been a powerful drama. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Los Angeles Times (Sam Adams)
The movie's mild-mannerness is especially disappointing when compared with such documentaries as "The War Tapes" and the excellent "Home Front," vivid and incisive explorations of post-Iraq anger and disillusionment that have gone largely unseen by a ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Los Angeles Times (Sam Adams)
Los Angeles Times (Sam Adams)
The movie's mild-mannerness is especially disappointing when compared with such documentaries as "The War Tapes" and the excellent "Home Front," vivid and incisive explorations of post-Iraq anger and disillusionment that have gone largely unseen by a ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Los Angeles Times (Sam Adams)
ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
A noble effort that nonetheless results in the kind of movie words like 'wallow' were made for; sitting through it is a drag. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at ReelTalk Movie Reviews (Jeffrey Chen)
The New York Times (Stephen Holden)
As this cautious, politically evenhanded movie grinds along like clockwork, the fuse that should spark an emotional explosion fizzles after some sporadic hisses and sputters. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at The New York Times (Stephen Holden)
filmcritic.com (Chris Barsanti)
Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)
Each member takes his, or her, role to a level of ridiculousness at some point which will make you shake your head in disbelief. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Pop Syndicate (Stefan Halley)
New York Times (Stephen Holden)
The kindest description of Home of the Brave , the first Hollywood movie to examine the experience of American soldiers returning from Iraq, might be that it is fueled by noble intentions. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at New York Times (Stephen Holden)
Boxoffice Magazine (Mark Keizer)
Although it plays like a rough draft of a better Iraq War film yet to be made, Home of the Brave should put the subject on the front page, where it belongs. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Boxoffice Magazine (Mark Keizer)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Perhaps as a made-for TV movie, Home of the Brave would have been considered solid fare, maybe even supporting enough fine performances by the cast to earn a few choice Emmy nominations. As a theatrical release, it doesn't quite satisfy, precisely because ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
Village Voice (Nathan Lee)
As sincere as a three-legged puppy. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Village Voice (Nathan Lee)
Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
Except for the Iraqi action prologue, it's a stretch to say this is any more than a run-of-the-mill TV movie. Worthy assignment; poor execution. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Cinema Signals (Jules Brenner)
Premiere (Ethan Alter)
By straining to make a respectful war film for everyone, Winkler and Friedman have wound up with a toothless picture that won't satisfy anyone. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Premiere (Ethan Alter)
New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
The apolitical and well-meaning Home of the Brave is predictable and maudlin. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at New York Post (Lou Lumenick)
The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
Whatever its model, the film is assembled from much poorer material, leftover parts of Lifetime movies and well-meaning indie films seen only on opening nights at some forgotten festival in Tampa. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
MovieMaze.de (Toni Strasser)
Slant Magazine
ithout an ounce of ingenuity but plenty of moralizing, Home of the Brave repackages Patricia Foulkrod's The Ground Truthâa piercing documentary about vets' struggles to reintegrate into society once home from Iraqâinto a laughably clichéd, ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Slant Magazine
Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema (Mark Pfeiffer)
Home of the Brave is so ham-fisted in its attempts to wring pathos from the vets' problems that it plays like an overwrought parody of an award bait movie. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema (Mark Pfeiffer)
Film School Rejects (Neil Miller)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
eFilmCritic.com (Erik Childress)
DVDTalk.com (Brian Orndorf)
Brave reduces everything to riotously loathsome television movie standards, bleeding the potency of what should be a very significant and disturbing story dry. ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at DVDTalk.com (Brian Orndorf)
Filmjerk.com (Brian Orndorf)
CHUD (Devin Faraci)
A motion picture that isn't just bad, it's abysmal. One of the worst films of the year, and nothing but a disservice to everyone fighting in Iraq (and to everyone sitting through the movie). ...read the complete Home of the Brave movie review at CHUD (Devin Faraci)
The Cinema Source (Benjamin Lee)
The Cinema Source (Benjamin Lee)
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