October Baby: Critic Reviews

Like the bloodied placards brandished by demonstrators outside women's health clinics, the film communicates in the language of guilt and fear.

Extended scenes are dominated by heavy dialogue, while the lighter moments are relegated to montages of prancing across a beach, for example, which simply aren't that effective at buoying the drama.

"October Baby" looks and feels like a Lifetime movie waiting not to happen.

A slick piece of pro-life propaganda, it has relatively luxe production values, painfully earnest performances, and a drippy "inspirational" score.

The film as a whole is amateurish and ungainly, can't find a consistent tone, is too long, is overladen with music that tries to paraphrase the story and is photographed with too many beauty shots that slow the progress.

The closer Hannah gets to her goal, the more insistent the sermonizing becomes. By the time she confronts the woman who rejected her (a careerist lawyer), we are neck-deep in Lifetime TV bathos.

"October Baby" doesn't even meet the standards of decent propaganda. It is, in fact, indecent propaganda.

Directors Andrew and Jon Erwin, who also contributed to the story, rarely let their film get didactic, instead going for a more low-key approach.

Newcomer Rachel Hendrix grabs attention and sustains sympathy as a lovely yet troubled 19-year-old student determined to unlock the secrets of her past.

"October Baby" may be well-intentioned, but it's as obvious and inert as a spoonful of mashed potatoes.

Timed to come out in the middle of a political dogfight over birth control, when candidates tell their supporters that they'll "get rid of Planned Parenthood," "October Baby" could have hot-button appeal for a certain audience.

The odds that this has happened in the real world approach those of being struck by lightning and eaten by a shark at the same time. With a winning lottery ticket tucked in your swimsuit.

[An] earnest, faith-based drama, which lacks sufficient entertainment value to make its message go down more palatably.

A film whose poignancy is hard to deny whatever side of the abortion debate you fall on.

tries to walk a line between abortion drama and adoption drama. All the wringing of hands in this film are results of cliches we've seen in television and movies for years.

While it's better than most movies of its kind, it's still pretty weak entertainment, though choir members should feel free to sing its praises. Amen.

Sometimes it is simply impossible for me to look at a movie with complete objectivity.

A couple of scenes - especially one with a cop with a heart - are touching. Depending on your point of view, October Baby does manage to score more than a few points.

The filmmaking is lugubrious and heavy-handed, and the dramatic arc stagnant and airless.

Faith-based drama about adoption, abortion, forgiveness.

A definitely pro-life story that will anger those who see no redeeming aspect for this position. For those who do agree with the premise this will be a cause for celebration.

Heavy-handed proselytizing trumps genuine emotional impact.

Timed to come out in the middle of a political dogfight over birth control, when candidates tell their supporters that they'll "get rid of Planned Parenthood," October Baby could have hot-button appeal for a certain audience.

Trafficking in 2-D morality and unlikely to be seen by the unconverted, "October Baby" would have been better off as a bumper sticker.