Saint Ralph (2004)
Average Rating: 6.3/10
Reviews Counted: 68
Fresh: 43 | Rotten: 25
Saint Ralph is an amiable tear-jerker that walks a fine line between being inspirational and being hokum.
Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 26
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 10
Saint Ralph is an amiable tear-jerker that walks a fine line between being inspirational and being hokum.
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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 6,064
Movie Info
A young man with big dreams sets out to do the seemingly impossible in this bittersweet comedy drama. Ralph Walker (Adam Butcher) is a 14-year-old boy growing up in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1954. Ralph is convinced he's cut out to do something remarkable some day, but he hasn't quite decided what, and at the moment he has other things to worry about. Ralph's father has recently died, as have his grandparents, and his mother (Shauna MacDonald) is severely ill and in the hospital, leaving the boy to
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Cast
-
Adam Butcher
Ralph Walker -
Campbell Scott
Father George Hibbert -
Gordon Pinsent
Father Fitzpatrick -
Jennifer Tilly
Nurse Alice -
Shauna MacDonald
Emma Walker -
Michael Kanev
Chester Jones -
-
Gerard Parkes
Longboat -
Jeff Baxter
Cattana -
Rob Smith
Santa Claus -
Michael David Brown
John Bannon -
Jonathan Wilson
Father Gregg -
Frank Crudele
Mr. Karl -
Fiona Highet
Nurse -
Jonathan Walker
Mr. Collins -
Boyd Banks
Worker #1 -
Barry Stilwell
Mr. Jones -
Sean Cullen
Children's Aid Officer -
Naomi Emmerson
Spectator #2 -
Jonathan Higgins
Boston Announcer -
Chris Ploszczansky
Hulk -
Paulette Sinclair
Secretary Roddy -
Lubica Kucerova
Woman in Shower -
Ben Gans
Senior Citizen #1 -
Jock McLeod
Senior Citizen #2 -
Daniel Karasik
Bolan -
Keir Gilchrist
Kid Collins -
Joan Massiah
Mrs. Scarlet -
Henry Alessandroni
Worker #2 -
Brandon Barre
Road Runner -
John Blakey
Spectator #1
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All Critics (72) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (43) | Rotten (25) | DVD (7)
Canadian writer-director Michael McGowan has packed it so full of earnestness that viewers end up jogging along.
Top CriticFunny, touching and uplifting.
It's worth seeking out this bittersweet comedy with its emotionally resonant story and stellar performances.
Even when it's pushing the limits of shameless manipulation, this cheeky Canadian film has charm and wit.
You can't argue with the message. But its well-worn homilies might give you reason to question the messenger.
It's hard to dislike schmaltz as mild as Saint Ralph, but let's try: The film is as bland as a communion wafer, sentimental as a Christmas homily, and predictable as the liturgy.
The heart of the film and ensemble, however, is Adam Butcher. If there's any justice, this guy could have a hell of a career. Highly recommended.
What writer-director Michael McGowan has pulled off is a bit of a miracle.
For the jaded moviegoer, here's a little film that just might restore your faith -- in movies and a whole lot more.
A likable little underdog-triumphs drama from Canada... This is a case where my idealistic side won out over my cynical side.
Butcher carries the film well, interpreting Ralph as a tangle of mixed-up yearnings tempered with an indomitable drive.
The comic aspects of this comedy-drama are overly broad and forced, while the supposedly dramatic ones are cloying and treacly.
This wincingly earnest comedy-drama could rival the maple tree as Canada's leading producer of sap.
A hooey-slathered film that combines the Catholic school humor of 'Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?' with the rah-rah uplift of an underdog sports story.
An overly convenient plot is the main con in Ralph, which includes a devastating fire, an assist from a celebrity and at least one miracle, all of which show up exactly when the plot needs help moving forward.
Ralph may be more a sinner than a saint, and his movie may be a little cheesy, but who cares - I thoroughly enjoyed following him on his quest.
...a small, straightforward story that has its heart in the right place, even if its hokey sentimentality keeps it from reaching the finish line.
The movie rests on (Adam) Butcher, and the actor proves to be a well-rounded smart aleck in the making.
If McGowan pushes the religious themes too hard, his greatest sin is that he leads you to believe that the story is true.
It's all very cute and predictable. Still it's a fun movie...
Pushes itself as strenuously as its young protagonist, but ultimately collapses in a welter of sentiment, cuteness and whimsy.
McGowan's film demonstrates how sometimes the strongest acts of faith can only occur entirely outside the church.
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Movie: ID: 2775 Title: Saint Ralph Release Date: 2005-08-05 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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