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Nell Minow

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Nell Minow writes about movies, television, the Internet, and parenting as The Movie Mom for Beliefnet and other publications. Her articles have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Family Fun, Child, Daughters, Parents, Slate, and three editions of The Practical Guide to Practically Everything. Her book, The Movie Mom's Guide to Family Movies was published by Avon in 1999, with a second edition in 2004. She reviews movies every week on radio stations across the US and in Canada. Her reviews appear on Beliefnet at http://blog.beliefnet.com/moviemom and you can see her Movie Mom page on Facebook or follow her on twitter. Nell is a member of the Online Film Critics Society, the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

Favorites:

500 of my favorite movies are reviewed in my book, but as of this writing my top 10 would have to include

Location:

Just outside of Washington DC

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Mercy (2026) 24% B EDIT “The last part of the movie gets over-complicated, cutting some logical corners. But Pratt is, as always, a likable presence and we want to see him prove that he is innocent — and that at least for now humans can still outthink machines.” – Movie Mom Jan 22, 2026 Full Review The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 94% 5/5 EDIT “In its own way, it's as thrilling an adventure in storytelling on film as the quest it portrays.” – Common Sense Media Jan 14, 2026 Full Review The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 95% 5/5 EDIT “Gollum, computer animated but based on the movements of actor Andy Serkis (who also provided the voice), feels as real as any of the humans. But the human actors do hold their own, giving gravity and heart to the effects and panoramas. ” – Common Sense Media Jan 13, 2026 Full Review Young Mothers (2025) 95% 3.5/4 EDIT “The film is deeply sympathetic to the impossibly difficult choices these girls face and respectful of their efforts to do better for their babies than their parents did for them.” – RogerEbert.com Jan 9, 2026 Full Review Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025) 92% B+ EDIT “A twisty plot, a knock-out cast, a dash of commentary about contemporary life and searching for meaning. Josh O’Conner continues to impress with his exceptional range and the precision of his characterization. ” – Movie Mom Jan 3, 2026 Full Review The Best You Can (2025) 87% B+ EDIT “Real-life couple Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon are pure magic on screen. Their skill, their powerful chemistry, and the modest intentions of "The Best You Can Do" elevate this small film into something special.” – Movie Mom Jan 1, 2026 Full Review Resisterhood (2020) 100% B+ EDIT “Crim deftly brings the stories together and some of the film’s most powerful and moving scenes are the family members who are all inspired to continue the tradition of speaking out for others. ” – Movie Mom Dec 31, 2025 Full Review Song Sung Blue (2025) 78% A- EDIT “Two huge Hollywood stars, very slightly dimming their imperishable glamour, in one of the most purely enjoyable films of the year, with heartfelt performances and joyous music.” – Movie Mom Dec 24, 2025 Full Review Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) 66% B EDIT “Like its predecessors, the visuals are stunning, the action is dynamic, the story is thin, and the dialogue is painfully basic...Next to the visual splendor, the other reason to watch the film is the villain, played with sinuous menace by Oona Chaplin. ” – Movie Mom Dec 18, 2025 Full Review Ella McCay (2025) 22% 3/4 EDIT “Its optimism is so refreshing, its dialogue so smart, and its characters and performances so endearing, it well rewards a watch. ” – RogerEbert.com Dec 12, 2025 Full Review Fackham Hall (2025) 74% 2/4 EDIT “Its watchability comes from the very elements it is trying to undermine. ” – RogerEbert.com Dec 6, 2025 Full Review Oh. What. Fun. (2025) 35% 2/4 EDIT “It makes the mistake of showing us clips of other, better Christmas movies right at the beginning, an unfortunate contrast for a film that is not destined to become a holiday rewatch.” – RogerEbert.com Dec 3, 2025 Full Review Zootopia 2 (2025) 91% 4/4 EDIT “‘Zootopia 2’ is pure delight, every bit as exciting and heartwarming and imaginative as the Oscar-winning original and maybe even funnier.” – RogerEbert.com Nov 26, 2025 Full Review Rental Family (2025) 87% A- EDIT “One of the most heartwarming and humane films of the year. ” – Movie Mom Nov 21, 2025 Full Review Wicked: For Good (2025) 66% B+ EDIT “Jonathan Bailey gives Fiyero a quiet smolder as he goes from dancing through life to thinking about choices to following his heart. It is subtle, not a term that comes to mind when considering the joyful maximalism of the "Wicked" film. ” – Movie Mom Nov 21, 2025 Full Review In Your Dreams (2025) 86% 3.5/4 EDIT “It’s a wise and touching story about the challenges of family and of change.” – RogerEbert.com Nov 14, 2025 Full Review Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025) 60% B+ EDIT “When I say that a better title might be: "Now You See Me: Now You Don’t Think Too Hard," that doesn’t mean I didn’t thoroughly enjoy this third in what is being set up to be a "Mission Impossible" or "Fast and Furious"-style franchise. ” – Movie Mom Nov 14, 2025 Full Review I Wish You All the Best (2024) 86% 3.5/4 EDIT “The compassion director Tommy Dorfman brings to every character is endearing, and her unquestioning love for them makes this a heartwarming gem. ” – RogerEbert.com Nov 7, 2025 Full Review Nuremberg (2025) 72% A- EDIT “"Nuremberg" is well paced, as a thriller, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of history and the human capacity for evil and for good. It is never didactic or heavy-handed. ” – Movie Mom Nov 6, 2025 Full Review Satisfied (2024) 100% B+ EDIT “This intimate film reflects the evolution in storytelling as individuals bypass intermediaries and tell their own stories in the most unfiltered and direct way possible (and usually in vertical mode, filmed on a phone).” – Movie Mom Nov 6, 2025 Full Review Bugonia (2025) 88% D EDIT “I’d say that the movie goes off the rails after this, but it was never really on the rails...The movie sets itself up for insights about conspiracy theories, economic disparity, and predatory corporations, only to let us know it has nothing to say.” – Movie Mom Oct 31, 2025 Full Review Blue Moon (2025) 90% A- EDIT “One of the most heartbreaking and beautifully written scenes of the year has Rodgers (Andrew Scott) and Hart (Ethan Hawke) talking about the possibility of working together again. ” – Movie Mom Oct 24, 2025 Full Review If I Had Legs I'd Kick You (2025) 92% B EDIT “We are not just watching this mother; we begin to feel the pressure she is under.” – Movie Mom Oct 24, 2025 Full Review Regretting You (2025) 29% B- EDIT ““Regretting You” is not a good movie. It is soapy and insipid. But somehow, thanks to its actors, it is still mildly, wait-for-streaming, watchable.” – Movie Mom Oct 24, 2025 Full Review Pets on a Train (2025) 2.5/4 EDIT “The concept and the main character have a lot of potential, but they are overwhelmed by a cluttered storyline.” – RogerEbert.com Oct 18, 2025 Full Review
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