Mending the Line Reviews
Linda Cook OurQuadCities / WHBF-TV (Illinois)
This is a heart-touching film about veterans helping veterans.
Full Review | Original Score: 3 stars | May 20, 2024
Jesse Hassenger Decider
Over and over, the decision to repeatedly linger in the moment feels like it’s being made out of caution rather than actual effectiveness.
Full Review | Mar 28, 2024
Michael Cook KLRT-TV
These two men [Brian Cox & Sinqua Walls] from different generations and different backgrounds still develop a warm friendship that really centers the film. The story of fly-fishing and trout-fishing plays as beautiful metaphor for life.
Full Review | Original Score: 8.5/10 | Jul 21, 2023
Jeffrey M. Anderson Common Sense Media
It may be formulaic and slow, but this mentor-student drama is rarely dull thanks to fine performances and languid pacing that lets us find the meditative rhythms of fly fishing itself.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 17, 2023
The drama captures the way two wounded warriors from opposite worlds can overcome trauma, find comfort in nature and, potentially, mend themselves.
Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 16, 2023
Mark Jackson Epoch Times
The whole point of finding tranquility on a fly-fishing river is that one should learn to take that meditation into daily life. This is among the most important concepts that exist for humans. Which makes the movie worthwhile despite a saccharine score.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 14, 2023
William Schwartz Willamette Week
Mending the Line brings us close to its broken-down veterans, delivering a sympathetic depiction that transcends politics.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 14, 2023
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
I couldn't have been more bored than if I were actually fishing.
Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Jun 14, 2023
Joe Friar Fort Worth Report
Featuring strong performances and a solid cast that includes Sinqua Walls plus seasoned greats Brian Cox and Wes Studi, the heartwarming film examines the alienation and trauma many “wounded warriors” experience and their journey toward peace and purpose.
Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jun 10, 2023
Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion
Blandly well-intentioned fare...elevated to some extent by strong lead performances from Sinqua Walls and Brian Cox...who makes the decidedly calculating and predictable movie as watchable as it is.
Full Review | Original Score: C+ | Jun 10, 2023
Owen Gleiberman Variety
[It] has a rote TV-movie look and a few bland and rambling passages. But it delivers a truth about those who have served, about the reality of the demons that can linger in them, that’s tough and moving.
Full Review | Jun 10, 2023
Charles Koplinski Reel Talk with Chuck and Pam
Quiet and genuine, the film's prescription for what ails you is applicable to a great many ailments, making it a movie well worth seeking out.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jun 10, 2023
Lauren LaMagna Next Best Picture
Audiences will know precisely what they are getting with "Mending the Line," but it is still a delightful watch.
Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jun 9, 2023
Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue
There’s a poignant message about the unspoken bond between veterans and finding healing in unexpected places. However, amid its picturesque rivers and streams, the film overflows with heavy-handed sentimentality.
Full Review | Jun 9, 2023
Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times
The movie is worth a look for its lovely and magical fly-fishing sequences and stirring Big Sky vistas (shout out to cinematographer Eve Cohen), as well as its strong cast...
Full Review | Jun 8, 2023
Mark Jenkins Washington Post
The middling material is often elevated by the performances.
Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 8, 2023
Robert Kojder Flickering Myth
Mending the Line veers back and forth like bumper cars, from compelling dialogue exchanges to phony drama
Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Jun 7, 2023
Bill Goodykoontz Arizona Republic
Through its setting and performances, “Mend the Line” has just enough going for it to recommend it.
Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 6, 2023
Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru
Contrived, preachy and paint-by-numbers, but anchored by the always-reliable, warm and charismatic Brian Cox.
Full Review | Jun 6, 2023
Jackie K. Cooper jackiekcooper.com
The basic story is a Marine recovering from his mental and physical wounds caused by war, but it is the community of individuals who make the story soar. Acting, script, music, cinematography, direction - it all comes together.
Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Oct 1, 2022