The USCCB critic says, "It is the convincing rapport between the characters that is the grease that keeps this film going. With heart-warming moments as well as hearty laughs,
Bruce Donaldson (Movieguide) calls it "a heart-warming, well-made story," but says its perspective is a "non-Christian, Romantic worldview, with humanistic elements." He is also bothered that the church is portrayed in an unflattering light: "The church, as an institution, exists to equip congregations or parishioners—people—to do the work of ministry themselves. If the filmmakers had understood, or experienced, this point, they might have written a powerful 'Christian' story."
But it is true that, no matter why the church exists, many churches are unfriendly. Perhaps the story's unhealthy church can serve as a caution and a reminder to churchgoers about Christian responsibility.
The USCCB's critic responds to the issue, saying: "The representation of the Church as cold-hearted doesn't seem to be intended to single it out as much as to say it is just another place where Rafael doesn't find help."
Mainstream critics gave it mixed reviews, in spite of its Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Film. Some argue that it is too sentimental. But Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat (Spirituality and Health) write, "