Click to read the article
Comment
02/10/07
The Last Sin Eater (2007)
19
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:36
Fresh:7
Rotten:29
Average Rating:4.2/10
Consensus: This earnest Christian parable is undone by its pompous dialogue and cheap FX.
Theatrical Release:May 15, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $246,483
Synopsis: When a mysterious man "absolves" her grandmother's sins by eating bread and wine at her grave, 10-year-old Cadi wants the same redemption -- while she's still alive! But in her quest for... [More]
Starring: Louise Fletcher, Henry Thomas, Liana Liberato, Soren Fulton
Director: Michael Landon
Get This Movie
Reviews for The Last Sin Eater
If Sin Eater wasn't so laborious, it might be easier to overlook the movie's predictability. With too many slow-developing subplots, though, it finally illicits a feeling something like squirming in a hard pew during a long-winded sermon.
02/08/07
Top CriticA strong story is hindered here by on-the-nose dialogue and melodramatic delivery that makes it seem more like a pulpit-pounding sermon than a slyly subtle parable.
02/09/07
The problem isn't Sin Eater's Christian theme -- in fact, the idea of a community shifting from paganism to Christianity is promising -- but that the movie can't find a way to integrate that theme into its story.
02/08/07
Its chances of crossover success with the secular crowd seem remote, given the dramatic shortcomings. The cast's attempts to speak in the old country accent have uneven results. And the story often feels pedestrian and predictable.
02/08/07
Top Critic...[an] ambitious but sappy saga...the redemptive vibes are unevenly at work in this tepid tale of sin and salvation.
02/10/07
Squanders its good intentions with its numbingly bloated 140-minute running time.
02/15/07
Perversely fascinating as a cultural document, but as a movie it's simply dreadful.
02/09/07
It’s stunning how flat and lifeless this film is, and we won’t even talk about the chintzy special effects. Another cynical God-market outing from the folks at Fox Faith.
02/08/07
It's not horrible, though the rather chintzy production values have a glorified made-for-television look.
02/08/07
Liberato muddles through a heavy-handed Christian agenda and barely legible plot.
02/06/07
It has earnestness but not a lot of conviction...
02/16/07
Never afraid to overstate the obvious, helmer and co-scripter Landon establishes, underscores and italicizes each plot point with the well-intentioned didacticism of a Sunday School teacher.
02/08/07
Top CriticEfforts to build suspense, with ominous music and dark figures flashing past the camera, are laughably amateurish, as is the made-for-TV cinematography.
02/08/07
Top CriticWith its dulling straightforward pitch for Jesus, The Last Sin Eater seems like the worst of films from a non-born-again perspective.
02/08/07
Folks wanting to hear the usual New Testament message will be pleased; others may feel that the tension dissolves in homilies and wish the main character weren't led around by a blonde-haired little angel in a white dress.
02/09/07
The film's rhythm drags. And [director] Landon uses the 'when in doubt, pump up the score' method for signaling Cadi's emotions.
02/09/07
The Last Sin Eater has flaws too hard to ignore. The lovely shots of Appalachian vistas are spoiled by cheesy special effects straight from the 1960s Chroma-Key era.
02/08/07
The special effects look like they were executed on somebody's laptop.
02/09/07
Top CriticMarred by a certain awkward earnestness.
02/09/07
Latest News for The Last Sin Eater
May 17, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Third Time's Not the Charm for "Shrek"
America is going green this week: "Shrek the Third" (featuring the voices of Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, and Antonio Banderas) is our single new wide release. Critics... More...
February 17, 2007:
Set in the 1850s, this Christian-oriented tale of redemption comes courtesy of Fox Faith, a newly-created division of 20th Century Fox. 
More...
February 08, 2007:
Critical Consensus: "Norbit" Is Flabby; "Hannibal Rising" Isn't That Tasty
This week at the movies, we've got a nerd with an overbearing fiancée ("Norbit," starring Eddie Murphy) and the early days of Hannibal Lecter ("Hannibal... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
Moviefone's Year End Movie Poll
What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds