Hosea Rupprecht Catholic News Service Aug 12, 2021

Director Miranda de Pencier's fact-based sports drama tells a story of hope amid rampant despair.

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Sarah Ward Concrete Playground Mar 23, 2021

Sensitive yet never mawkish... earns its heart, spirit and warmth.

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Jim Schembri jimschembri.com Mar 19, 2021 2.5/5

Corny, cliched and ham-fisted, yet it still manages to get under your guard with its heartfelt message about reigniting the spirit of despondent youth...Breaks down your natural resistance to platitudes through the sheer force of sincerity.

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James Croot The Post NZ Mar 16, 2021 4/5

Director Miranda de Pencier... does a fabulous job in her first feature film of balancing feelings of authenticity and uplift, ensuring there are both heartwrenching and heartwarming moments.

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Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Jan 29, 2021 3.0/4.0

This is a film that could have gone wrong in so many ways, yet in so many ways it goes right.

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Scott Hines Decider Dec 22, 2020

A gripping sports movie worthy of its place in that canon.

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Diane Carson KDHX (St. Louis) Nov 30, 2020

As Russ, Ben Schnetzer expresses the perfect balance of dismay and determination, listening and learning, connecting to these beleaguered teenagers, most appearing for the first time in a film, handling humor and serious events with equal skill.

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Tom Meek Cambridge Day Sep 25, 2020 2.5/4

The film works, mostly for its exposure of an off-the-radar area and situation; stick around for the end credits that let you know where the characters' real-life counterparts wind up.

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Edward Douglas The Weekend Warrior (Substack) Sep 18, 2020

Imagine a cross between The Bad News Bears with Whale Rider.

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Todd Jorgenson Cinemalogue Sep 16, 2020

Its intentions are pure, but this crowd-pleasing Canadian sports drama can't muster a winning formula amid some overly familiar tropes.

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Brigid Presecky Impressionist Media Sep 14, 2020

From excellent Emmy-winning writers Moira Walley-Beckett and Graham Yost comes The Grizzlies, a true sports story that is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring.

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Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com Sep 8, 2020 B+

"The Grizzlies" doesn't pander to the audience. It offers them a touching, raw nerve look at survival, friendship, and the healing power of optimism and opportunity.

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Nell Minow RogerEbert.com Aug 8, 2020 3/4

Though it's a familiar plot about kids learning discipline and teamwork through sports, The Grizzlies is brought to life through the specifics that make the characters and their sense of place -- and of displacement -- central to the story.

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Tara McNamara Common Sense Media Aug 4, 2020 4/5

Powerful Canadian sports drama promotes understanding.

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Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice Apr 30, 2020 4/5

Inspiring true story of an Inuit lacrosse team who transform themselves and their community.

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Courtney Howard Variety Mar 20, 2020

It's exactly the type of uplifting movie that could boost spirits during these bleak times.

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Jorge Ignacio Castillo Prairie Dog Magazine Aug 3, 2019 2/5

The "white saviour" approach is awkward at best. It opens with a trigger-warning, signaling lack of confidence in the material (and the audience, too).

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Bree Duwyn Film Inquiry Jul 3, 2019

The film hosts a plethora of well-constructed young characters with genuine ambition and an authenticity that breaks and warms the heart all at once.

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Steven Neish HeyUGuys Jun 28, 2019 5/5

A complete triumph from casting and location filming to its refusal to simplify the harshness of the life it explores.

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Pat Mullen Cinemablographer May 10, 2019

The fearless and inspiring The Grizzlies gives Canadian film the great sports drama that has long eluded it.

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