62
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The New York TimesLawrence Van GelderThe New York TimesLawrence Van GelderHarrowing yet hopeful film.
- 70Village VoiceAkiva GottliebVillage VoiceAkiva GottliebSo well-intentioned it almost renders critical examination frivolous.
- 70L.A. WeeklyElla TaylorL.A. WeeklyElla TaylorA serious work of analysis, rooting the resistance to reform in Third World government corruption and Western profiteering.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKevin CrustLos Angeles TimesKevin CrustAn impassioned plea for change, the film balances bleak, Dickensian conditions with details of a growing number of international programs designed to combat the epidemic.
- 63New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickIt remains for a tougher documentary to more forcefully trace exactly who benefits from this shameful practice -- multinational corporations and consumers who don't ask enough questions.
- 63New York Daily NewsJack MathewsNew York Daily NewsJack MathewsMeryl Streep narrates this global update on child-labor abuses with all the enthusiasm and alarm of someone reading "The Pet Goat" to a classroom of second-graders.
- 63Boston GlobeWesley MorrisBoston GlobeWesley MorrisAs moviemaking, it's monotonous. But its insistence on breaking our hearts proves a reliable weapon.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckWell meaning but less than riveting in its execution, this documentary is far better suited for public television exposure than theatrical release.
- 50VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibIn its reliance on emotionally loaded voiceover and its disconcertingly direct appeals for support, Len Morris' old-fashioned docu seems more designed for fund-raising pitches than theatrical release.
- 50The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasDocumentaries like Stolen Childhoods present an uncomfortable dilemma for anyone who cares how movies are made: They have virtually no aesthetic value, but compensate with unimpeachable social worth.