The reviews lean towards qualified approval, with praise clustering around the Montana scenery, the performances and the patient handling of the emotions. Critics who respond warmly find an old-fashioned romance that gives its characters’ feelings time to develop without forcing them. The opening accident also draws attention for its frightening intensity, while the casting of Redford and Kristin Scott Thomas earns approval. Across the accessible reviews, the film’s care and craftsmanship are more consistently admired than its storytelling.
Length and pacing account for the clearest reservations: several critics find the story too slight or slow to sustain the running time, particularly as the romance progresses. The spread is mostly between appreciative and mixed, with no outright negative verdict recorded. Eye for Film is notably more enthusiastic, singling out Scott Thomas’s emotional subtlety. Three reviews have insufficient accessible text to establish their reasoning, which limits how fully the apparent agreement can be described.
