Sarah’s Oil (2025)

Paul Asay praises Zachary Levi as “a deeply likable cad” and finds the film’s messages consistently rewarding, noting that they do not require deep drilling to locate. He observes that the journey to those messages can be “a little bumpy”—specifically flagging the language as unexpectedly strong for a faith-friendly release, and Bert’s romantic backstory as more than the film strictly needs. Overall, Asay characterizes it as “a nice, often sweet and very watchable movie” whose impurities are the cost of admitting the genuine historical grime of the era.

Dove awards the film its Dove Seal for ages 12+, noting that it “strongly endorses keeping a faith in God and trusting in Him when adversity strikes.” The review highlights Sarah’s prayers to Jesus, the film’s use of spirituals, and the line near the film’s close—”God gave us gifts—the only sin is not to use them”—as emblematic of its moral center.

Christian Toto describes the film as “a smart, satisfying tale spun from a remarable story that’s ripe for a Hollywood treatment,” praising Nowrasteh’s direction for letting the story breathe without leaning on lectures or virtue signaling. Toto singles out Naya Desir-Johnson’s restrained, precise performance as the film’s emotional anchor, and acknowledges that while the film “takes sizable license with the facts in question,” what emerges is a crowd-pleaser that honors its source without sanitizing the stakes.

Joseph Holmes offers the most culturally probing take among Christian critics, placing the film within the “mainline and Black Protestant tradition” of American Christianity rather than the evangelical mainstream. Holmes praises it as “a largely unobjectionable faith-based drama that hits most of the right notes for fans of the genre” while raising thoughtful questions about where faith-based cinema’s racial imagination will go in an increasingly polarized cultural climate.

85% Tomatometer (13 reviews) / 98% Audience Score (500+ verified ratings).

6.8/10.

Joe Leydon praises the film’s “engrossing” storytelling and “impressive” period detail, noting that newcomer Naya Desir-Johnson delivers a “perfect-pitch performance.” Leydon writes that the film should not surprise viewers who favor word-of-mouth—it is positioned to reach beyond its usual faith-based audience. The review is largely favorable, though it notes a third-act resolution that wraps things up somewhat cleanly given the genuine menace of the antagonists.