The Shack

Play trailer

1:00

The Shack

PG-13

Released Mar 3, 2017

2h 12m

Drama

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

20%

Tomatometer

71 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips spirals into a deep depression that causes him to question his innermost beliefs. Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a woman named Papa. Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

The Shack's undeniably worthy message is ill-served by a script that confuses spiritual uplift with melodramatic clichés and heavy-handed sermonizing.

Read Critics Reviews

Tara Brady

Irish Times

Perhaps there are Christians who will appreciate The Shack's Oprahfied universal heaven, wherein no bad deed goes punished. But it made us pine for the Book of Job God to spitefully hurl leviathans and behemoths.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 28, 2017

Full Review

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Making a sincere film about religious faith is a tricky thing to pull off. And this folksy dose of misguided manipulation demonstrates many of the common pitfalls.

Rated: 1/5

Jun 11, 2017

Full Review

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Touchy-feely New Age therapy runs headlong into evangelical Christianity in The Shack.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 9, 2017

Full Review

Juan Pablo Russo

EscribiendoCine

The Shack attempts to offer a message of redemption, but it does so in such an explicit and moralistic manner that it ends up alienating any viewer who does not share the film's religious vision. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2/10

Sep 11, 2024

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Essentially a parable at its core, like the book, the film challenges traditional Christian viewpoints, notably in the visual interpretation of God.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 30, 2019

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

The Shack is as graceless as its monosyllabic title.

Rated: 1/5

Oct 5, 2019

Full Review

Read all reviews

Darcie J

Every time I watch this movie I pick up more. Very awesome and worth watching multiple times.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/09/22

Full Review

Katelyn O

If you want to feel like you're being preached to for nearly 2 hours, this movie is for you. Extremely corny and childish, don't waste your time

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/24/25

Full Review

Vanessa W

I first listened to the digital audiobook and I LOVED the story. So, when the movie was released, I was overjoyed. This movie really rose to the occasion. It is a beautiful film with stellar acting and cinematography. It is a heartbreaking story but still an incredibly amazing film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/10/25

Full Review

Erryn F

This scene where God explains about how she can't choose between her children is very impactful, and it makes me think about the Strife of my children and what I go through and how much I love them even if they think I don't

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/06/25

Full Review

chaselynn b

The Shack is a deeply moving movie that powerfully shows God's love and grace. It’s a great reminder of how much God cares for us and can really strengthen and inspire faith.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/29/25

Full Review

Dimitra K

One of the worst, most ridiculous, childish films I have seen of late. I love Octavia Spencer so this critique pains me. The "theological" debates bits of the script were as if written by an eight year old. The directing was like a lifetime tv movie of the eighties.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Stuart Hazeldine

Director

Sam Worthington

Mack Phillips

Octavia Spencer

Papa

Aviv Alush

Jesus

Radha Mitchell

Nan Phillips

Alice Braga

Sophia

The Shack: Official Clip - Meeting the Trinity

2:14

The Shack: Official Clip - Laying Her to Rest

2:58

The Shack: Official Clip - A Garden of You

3:00

The Shack: Official Clip - Understanding Forgiveness

3:00

The Shack: Official Clip - The Murderer's Shack

2:57

The Shack: Official Clip - Drowning in Fear

2:00

The Shack: Official Clip - Revisiting the Shack

2:26

The Shack: Official Clip - Boat Flip

2:04

The Shack: Official Clip - Reconciling With My Father

3:00

The Shack: Official Clip - Send Your Kids to Hell

3:00

View more videos

Collateral Beauty

14%

64%

Collateral Beauty

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Collateral Beauty

One Fall

10%

62%

One Fall

Watchlist

Lady in the Water

25%

49%

Lady in the Water

Watchlist

The Tempest

31%

28%

The Tempest

Watchlist

Ondine

70%

60%

Ondine

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Wonder Woman Might Be Too Violent for Your Kids

On DVD This Week: Fist Fight, Before I Fall, and More

Sherlock Season 4, Master of None Season 2, Enemy of the State, and More on Netflix This Week

The Shack: 'Keep Your Eyes On Me' Trailer

1:00

The Shack: Trailer 1

2:24

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips spirals into a deep depression that causes him to question his innermost beliefs. Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a woman named Papa. Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever.

Director: Stuart Hazeldine
Producer: Gil Netter, Brad Cummings
Screenwriter: John Fusco, Andrew Lanham, Destin Daniel Cretton
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Windblown Media, Summit Entertainment, TIK Films, Gil Netter
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 3, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $57.2M
Runtime: 2h 12m

Most Popular at Home Now