The Kindness of Strangers

Zoe Kazan gives a luminous performance in a story about the transformative impact of kindness and forgiveness

A syrupy brew thick with twee and an abundance of cringe-inducing moments pulling at heartstrings.

The movie functions like one of those star-studded Garry Marshall ensemble movies but made terribly sad until the last few minutes, when a tacked-on happy ending arrives in time for the credits.

[D]ear lord, I've been searching high and low for something nice to say about this mess, and I have come up nearly empty.

The movie, so determined to celebrate small acts of kindness among those who have least, feels a little too calculated and emphatic - a tearjerker that doesn't quite draw tears.

A problem here is that almost all the characters are victims.

The glum, disparate stories never gel into a satisfying whole. Scherfig is entitled to a misfire when she's a filmmaker of skill and sensitivity; I'm looking forward to what she does next.

This isn't my favorite Lone Scherfig drama (that remains An Education), but she still knows how to draw out nuanced performances.

Audiences who like neat, tidy narratives might not like this film but its big-hearted sympathy for people on the margins of society and hope-filled belief in the power of kindness will win others over...

The Kindness of Strangers isn't an easy to watch film with a neat and tidy plot that you can easily forget. Instead, the implausible aspects of the story call for contemplation about the need for kindness in our lives.