User reviews

I am not a regular viewer of Christian films, and I was kind of surprised that this film is considered one. But I guess when the initial distributor dropped the picture at the last minute, a Christian company picked it up. But why, if a movie conveys decent human values, and there happen to be a couple of scenes in a church, is it pigeonholed? It's message is not overtly Christian, yet it is so powerful it should speak to anyone, religious or not. I was truly shocked to read that the critics' reviews were not entirely favourable, that they thought it saccharine, and simplistic in terms of racial issues. Because of a dream, a couple of rich white folks befriend an old homeless black man, and it changes not only their three lives but those of many people in the community. I don't think that's self-congratulatory; it's TRUE! I thought all the characters were well developed, given that there wasn't a ton of backstory, but just enough. They were portrayed fairly but all they faced demons in their own ways. I was so moved and touched by the story, especially by the truly stunning acting of Djimon Hounsou, and by the scenes of his childhood in Jim Crow Louisiana. I'd easily see this again just for Hounsou's acting alone. What would anyone want to change? I am baffled.

That this movie has not received the publicity and advanced advertising that it truly deserves is shameful -- the producers and production studio should be ashamed of themselves and they will reap their due reward from low attendance and most likely box office profit loss. This film definitely is worth its proverbial weight (cost) in gold. First and foremost is the plot itself, which propels the human instinct of avoidance of the uncomfortable, as with dirty homeless people, to a higher plane of reaching out, in caring rather than invasive ways, in order to actually help those less fortunate despite their social handicaps. That there is a Christian spirit about this movie is without doubt, but there is no specific religious dogma or theology. There is no "action", there is no graphic violence, there is no nudity, there is no profanity -- how completely refreshing in a movie. It is all character and dialog driven -- the acting is absolutely top notch, the dialog thoughtful and smart. The theme: reconciliation in all of our weakened or seemingly broken relationships if possible, with the onus being on ourselves to make the effort, in other words doing what we can to heal ourselves, and then being able to effectively, meaningfully reach out to and help those less fortunate, with respect rather than pity. This movie is a true treasure which, sadly I fear, will be missed by a very large audience due to lack of effective promotion.

This film tells the story of a wealthy couple who drifted apart. They become closer together by helping in a homeless shelter, and in the process they deeply touch other people's hearts.

I haven't imagined how touching this film can be. I thought it was a forgettable romantic comedy, but it turns out to be a very emotional and touching drama about how to love one another. All we have to do is to reach out to people in need, listen to the person and he genuinely there to love and care. I find this film very touching.

Here is a God oriented film worthy of watching. Solid performance by Djimon Hounsou,good story and supporting actors

Of course the book is better, it always is. My hubby read and loved the book (although he felt the book had a slow start he stuck with it) He was eager to watch the movie... and he was very disappointed by it. As expected there were changes to the movie and things left out but beyond that, the movie was just lacking. I can't put my finger on it... the acting, the directing, no character development... definitely the pacing. The movie was slow and uneven and the acting was wooden and hollow... if it wasn't for these actors being famous I'd say the acting was almost amateur. They really could have done so much more with this heartwarming and encouraging true story In My Humble Opinion! 11/2019

This movie is a throwback to Hollywood's earlier days in the sense that it's all about the story and the acting. There's not a special effect to be seen.

The story is powerful. And the acting amazing. I had read the book and listened to an audio version, so I knew what was going to happen, and I was still moved. Djimon Honsou is terrific.

If you are looking for a light, fun night at the cinema, Same Kind of Different as Me is not your film. If you are looking for a memorable movie with powerful acting, it is.

This film would have been great if novice writer/producer/director Michael Carney didn't hack the screenplay and knew how to direct the scenes properly. The pace was dragged out too long and either the editing was just as bad or the screenplay was that poor. The acting could have been better (maybe also the directors fault for not directing his cast properly?), especially from Greg Kinnear, but Djimon Hounsou stole the show with his outstanding performance. This film lost its potential with all these flaws and it missed the mark for me. Would I recommend it? Yes, it's a great and inspirational true story. Would I see it again? Nope. A generous 7/10 from me

At first, I thought, "Oh no, this is going to be a cheesy religious movie of some kind" but I changed that thinking quickly. It turned out to be extremely thought provoking on several levels. It made me want to do more with my life, reach out to others, and be a better person. Can't beat that for $5.50! I'm telling everyone I know that they should see it.

It is a very motivating movie; the plot is moving and the performances of Renée Zellweger and Djimon Hounsou are sublime; highly recommended.

Same Kind of Different as Me is a powerful character driven film. Actor, Djimon Hounsou's excellent portrayal of Denver, a colored homeless man who through divine intervention becomes friends with a wealthy white couple, (played convincingly by Greg Kinnear and Renee Zellweger) is flawless. The journey they're taken on changes them all for the better.

The movie reminded me of some of the character driven classics made by Frank Capra.

A slow film but built in to an enjoyable character diven emotional movie .

In Fort Worth, there are two worlds. The first one is the successful part of town where art dealer Ron Hall (Greg Kinnear) lives with his beautiful wife, Deb (Renee Zellweger) and their two wonderful teenagers, in a spectacular house. The other side is where the poor and homeless reside, including Denver (Djimon Hounsou). Ron and Deb have grown apart as of late and Ron cheats on his wife. Yet, Deb, a strong Christian, decides to work through their problems and especially wants Ron to join her in volunteering at a soup kitchen near the homeless. Reluctantly, he does so. One day, Denver comes in with a baseball bat and starts breaking furniture. Deb confronts him and he leaves....for a spell. When returning more subdued, Deb and Ron reach out to him and a friendship begins. Little by little, they learn Denver's sad life story, from being abandoned by his mother, having his grandmother's house burn down, working as a sharecropper, etc. No wonder he is such a bitter man, at times. Yet, all parties learn how much they have in common, rather than dwelling on differences. Even over the objections of his bigoted and alcoholic dad (Jon Voight), Ron insists on staying pals with and helping Denver. Then, a huge crisis occurs, involving Deb's health. Will this crisis draw them closer together or tear them apart? This beautiful true story is hampered by a direction so slow that even a snail would object. As such, the impact of the tale is greatly diminished, despite good performances from Kinnear and Zellweger. Only Hounsou rises about the tedious pace; when he is on screen, the viewer is riveted. The Texas scenery looks great as do the costumes and art direction. Certainly, too, the message of forgiveness is welcome anytime so no one should be discouraged from seeing it for its themes. Yet, after a view, even the most casual movie fan will wish that the film had a better pace and better editing. Let's hope the producers of Pure Flix will learn from the down side of a story on screen which should have had greater meaning.

This movie should win awards. It is the best movie I have seen in years. It covers many difficult subjects in a very beautiful way. In America, laws & law enforcement are used to STOP US from helping people who are homeless, hungry, and need help which is inhumane... We MUST NOT STAND FOR THIS! 80% of Americans are in debt. 70% have little to no savings. #1 cause of bankruptcy is medical bills. Rich, sociopathic people control our govt, media & elections. But there are hundreds of millions of us... and not so many of them. SEE THIS MOVIE... think about it....

Churchy movie but good churchy. If true, the story is unusual.

We were excited to see this film. We like almost any film that is "based on a true story". We especially like the "follow up" that comes at the end of such movies. "Same Kind" was not a disappointment on either front. It was powerful. It was deep. It was very dramatic. It was an eye-opener. I think I spent the last 30 minutes with tears in my eyes--but good tears. Would highly recommend this as a "must see" movie.

Can relate to multiple characters a lot. Good screenplay, cinematography. Refreshing but also not overdone.

My parents and I did not even make it halfway through this bizarre movie.

I like that Renée Zellweger's character is a philanthropist of sorts, but I could just taste the whole "white savior" trope in the middle of everything. I'm glad that people want to help and the ugliness of racism and class prejudice must be discussed, but this whole "white person befriends and saves black person" formula is stale and patronizing and smacks of the remnants of colonialism. Like people of color cannot help themselves unless a white person "saves" them. And it's safe to say that black people are sick of being portrayed as poor, homeless, criminals, and the like; this film just panders to those stereotypes in my opinion, quite frankly. That the writers actually discussed and brainstormed the lines that ended up in the final cut? That aside, I am agnostic and when I saw that this was a religion-based story, I was wary; it's fine to believe in a higher power, but this whole story seemed very preachy, very sappy, and I did not expect any real change for the better for the poor and disenfranchised characters while the rich whites get all the glory. It's just a formulaic, "feel-good" movie that plays it safe, from what I've seen.

Don't waste your time.

Heartbreaking, happy and sad in turns; heartwarming, a bit predictable because of the foreshadowing, but EXCELLENT nonetheless. Certainly the best movie I've seen all week, possibly all month. Maybe this quarter.

This is something you can share with family, quite dependably, on family movie night.

Invite the in-laws, children over 7, and have tissues ready.

This is a nice movie and it stirs the heart. The acting is very well done, especially Jon Voight and Djimon Hounsou. The racism emphasis from Hollywood's perspective can be a bit tiresome these days but it is handled respectfully in this film. I appreciated the quality of the production and how well it kept moving through the story not losing my interest. Highly recommended.

Pureflix has a single story to sell: family/person in conflict, conflict gets worse, invoke the supernatural and everything magically gets resolved. SKoDaM is the same thing because they know religious people like repetition.

I won't synposize the story here... what's the point? You've already met the characters in a previous Pureflix movie, so it's repetition now. If you liked the previous installments of the family/person, conflict, worsens, magical resolution, you'll like this one.