Though beautifully acted by Basinger (everyone else is relegated to a supporting role), there's a strange vagueness to much of this sumptuous, stunningly photographed melodrama.
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Like the star's acting, the movie is bland, full of good intentions and generally as stiff as a fireplace poker.
50
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
San Francisco ExaminerWesley Morris
Frill-less almost to the point of minimalist, teary without being lachrymose, hers is a performance you'd think was great were the movie in a language you didn't understand.
50
Miami Herald
Miami Herald
A wisp of a movie that dissipates the moment you leave the theater.
50
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
While Basinger admirably invests her role with deep passion and looks splendid in her Kenya khakis, the true story she stars in is disappointingly tame and dramatically inert.
30
Film.comRobert Horton
Film.comRobert Horton
There is no obvious reason for the film's meandering existence: it's a series of beautifully photographed postcards of Africa.
25
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Here's hoping your own dreams of Africa are more interesting -- and better acted -- than this movie.
20
VarietyEmanuel Levy
VarietyEmanuel Levy
Visually gratifying but dramatically weak, the film falls short of its aspiration to be a sweeping romantic epic.