Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Amazing Grace

Play trailer Poster for Amazing Grace PG 2007 1h 56m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
68% Tomatometer 123 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
In 18th-century England, House of Commons member William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) and his close friend and a future prime minister, William Pitt (Benedict Cumberbatch), begin a lengthy battle to abolish Great Britain's slave trade. Though Wilberforce's legislation is soundly defeated in 1791, his growing affection for Barbara Spooner (Romola Garai) inspires him to take up the fight once more.

Where to Watch

Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Amazing Grace is your quintessential historical biopic: stately, noble, and with plenty of electrifying performances.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
David Fear Time Out 09/22/2007
2/6
It's neither amazing nor graceful. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 09/22/2007
2/5
A decent cast under Michael Apted's direction does its best, but it's dull, naive and dramatically inert. Go to Full Review
Nathan Rabin AV Club 09/22/2007
B
Apted's unexpected crowd-pleaser is inspirational, but also surprisingly entertaining. Go to Full Review
Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web Site 09/02/2020
Amazing Grace fails to explain the different social interests lined up against slavery, for many of whom, manufacturers and others, the question was hardly a moral one. Go to Full Review
Kaleem Aftab The List 11/03/2018
2/5
Alas, the subject matter is far more interesting than the execution... It's a film bogged down with staid dialogue that reeks of horse manure. Go to Full Review
Adam Hochschild The New York Review of Books 08/23/2018
In a year that offers the occasion for a deeper and richer look at British slavery and abolition, it is a pity that artists of the caliber of Michael Apted and Steven Knight lent their talents to a tamely traditional and misleading film. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Jun 26 Pure white wash with a layer of gloss on top. See Kehinde Andrew's analysis of this film in his book 'White Psychosis'. See more Chris P Dec 29 An all around great movie full of inspiration! See more 08/10/2024 An inspiring biopic about how one man can make a difference by going against the grain of society and always doing the right thing. See more Alec B 03/04/2024 At times it's a little too stuffy but it is an effective chronicle of the slow march of progress. See more georgan g 10/29/2022 Well done all around. Emotional look at what it took (and takes!) to do the right thing by all human beings. People need education, but politicians also need stealth, to help progress move along. See more 02/23/2022 Director Michael Apted of 'James Bond' fame tells the true story behind the famous song used in religious practice Ioan Gruffudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, Albert Finney, Ciaran Hinds, Michael Gambon It's the early 1800's and the slave trade is still domineering the world as well as making money and business flourish by taking over 11 million black men, women, and children Great Britain was on top of the world because of it But one man, William Wilberforce sees that things needed to change The story here has him confronting the House of Commons to abolish the institution entirely giving the blacks being exploited their freedom to be treated as human beings He faces so much opposition though from other members but he wants to fully understand the hardship these slaves go through on a daily basis to back up his arguments for immense change Ultimately he is defeated in 1791 but after meeting and falling in love with a woman Barbara Spooner he gains enough inspiration to continue fighting The movie spends a lot of time in discussions and political debates about this topic so it might be derivative for a lot of viewers Still this marked a substantial point in human history with a special performance by Gruffudd William Wilberforce continued fighting injustice and campaigned until his death in 1883 yet his strong actions and passion for making all equal remain a great triumph Even if the subject matter is better than how it's executed the film is balanced by noble performances so it manages be above average as far as biopics are concerned See more Read all reviews
Amazing Grace

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown 92% 79% Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown Watchlist Shadow Magic 73% 67% Shadow Magic Watchlist The House of Mirth 82% 72% The House of Mirth Watchlist Danton 85% 82% Danton Watchlist The Grandfather 57% 88% The Grandfather Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis In 18th-century England, House of Commons member William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) and his close friend and a future prime minister, William Pitt (Benedict Cumberbatch), begin a lengthy battle to abolish Great Britain's slave trade. Though Wilberforce's legislation is soundly defeated in 1791, his growing affection for Barbara Spooner (Romola Garai) inspires him to take up the fight once more.
Director
Michael Apted
Producer
Edward R. Pressman, Terrence Malick, Patricia Heaton, David Hunt, Ken Wales
Screenwriter
Steven Knight
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co
Roadside Attractions, Samuel Goldwyn Films
Rating
PG (Thematic Material|Mild Language)
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 23, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$21.2M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
Most Popular at Home Now