KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

Develiker terrible... so disappointed.

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

eddie_baggins From a childhood growing up with a new Eddie Murphy movie almost every year, to an adulthood where it now seems like a rarity to hear about the comedy kingpin, let alone see him in a movie, Mr. Church is the 80's and 90's staple newest film and first to release since 2012, allowing us the opportunity to once more see Murphy on our screens.Those wishing to see old-school Murphy will be left sorely disappointed however as Mr. Church is Murphy at his most refined and low-key, perhaps the most he ever has been, as the wisecracking master dials it right down to portray real-life figure Henry Church in Bruce Beresford's dramatization of screenwriter Susan McMartin's upbringing with her kindly and good natured chef/father figure Mr. Church.Well adverse to feel good tales from his direction of films such as Driving Miss Daisy, Tender Mercies and Evelyn, Australian director Beresford dials up the kitsch to 11 in this feel good drama and it's not hard to see why Mr. Church was almost unanimously panned by critics upon its curiously low-key release a few years back, but despite the film feeling rather manipulative and often too convenient in its overcoming's of heavy life events, there's a gentle feel good quality to this tale that is led by Murphy in what's arguably his most assured acting turn outside of his comedy hijinks.Walking that fine line between fairy-tale like guardian figure whose all too happy to be cooking and housekeeping for some white picket fence American's and a layered figure whose mysterious past and life experiences has led him to become the man as we see him, Murphy is Mr. Church's MVP and it's a performance that showcases just what might lay in store for his acting future as he reaches an age where characters like Axel Foley and Sherman Klump are no longer possibilities.It's a shame Beresford's rather uninspired direction and Mr. Church's other acting ensemble don't come to the party as Britt Robertson, who doubles up as our key figure Charlie and the films narrator, fails to make Charlie completely work as a character, while the intriguing but never fully resolved back story surrounding Henry Church never unlocks the way we hope it does making our emotional investment in the characters plight lesser than it could've easily been.While nice not to be spoon-fed everything we expect, Mr. Church's inability to maximise the power of its story frustrates more than it should.Final Say - Mr. Church is the type of film that'll make you feel good, even though you know you've been manipulated into feeling so and while it's a slight piece of cinematic fluff, it's particularly refreshing to see a side of Murphy we've seen very little of in a career built around outlandish turns and his performance here makes Mr. Church a passable middle of the road experience.2 ½ boxes of matches out of 5

redkrypto-16659 Do not want to give away any spoilers here. Just have to say that this movie is absolutely beautiful. Bravo Eddie Murphy and entire cast. Kept my wife and I on the verge of tears for the duration. Just beautiful! Thanks!!

Pascal Charpentier I usually write those reviews for "extreme" reasons. If everybody hated a movie and I didn't. Or the other way round. Turns out there is another reason. When an actor who was once a star "comes back" with a stellar performance. Mr. Church is that film.Murphy delivers a heart wearming performance. He is the soul of the movie. I guess we will never know why Murphy so rarely appears on the screen but If you watch him here you can't help yourself wanting to see him more often.Don't get me wrong. This movie has problems and it is corny, sometimes a bit too much. But it is a film for families about families and a heartwarming one at that. Thats why it surely is no 10 rating but also no 4, 3, 2 or even 1 rating. If you want something for the family, if you like films like Forrest Gump and if you like Murphy, this is your movie.One thing I wanted to say when I read the official critics. They complain about an Afro-American being the servant. If you think that, you clearly didn't get the movie at all. He is basically father, husband. grandfather in one person. So if you saw him as a servant, you should really think about what that says about you.

Andra Bianca Yes, I totally agree that this was somehow a sweet family movie, heartwarming at times, nice to watch if you have nothing better to do, but I can't over the fact that it was absolutely unrealistic. I was reading the reviews hoping that someone would share my opinion. Usually, I am shocked by the negative reviews on movies I truly like, that possess depth & likable characters, but this one had mostly perfect ratings and I cannot not ask: Why? There were so many things that did not make any sense at all: the biggest reveal was that Mr. Church played the piano? Why did he come home drunk every night? Like he wasn't out partying, he was playing the piano, right? I got it, there was some daddy drama, but things just didn't seem convincing to me! And Charlie just went to live with him after he had been trying for so long to hide every information about his personal life? She went to spend her holiday there for a few days and she ended up staying there a few years??? She even moved there with her daughter, which leads me to: a daughter?! Just because her mother got pregnant, that doesn't make it very plausible for her to get pregnant and be totally okay with it. This movie seemed really exaggerated and it even made me feel uncomfortable at times.