REVIEWS

Read what critics, actors and other people have to say about Madeline

- “The real story, though, is the emergence of Madeline Carroll. The 12-year-old actress orders Costner around like a drill sergeant, verbally bloodies Tucci's nose, and ruthlessly zings Lane. She also serves as both the film's heart and its brains. Among this accomplished cast, Carroll steals the show.”
Jeff Marker - Article ------

- “But Madeline Carroll’s turn in “Swing Vote” is worth the price of admission. With the talented Abigail Breslin getting many of the choice roles and showing that their’s a market for girl driven narratives, Miss Carroll might provide another solid alternative for Hollywood casting directors.”
Jonathan W. Hickman - Article ------

- “Costner really made you believe in that role. His counterpoint though, was his daughter, played brilliantly by Madeline Carroll. This girl is 13 years old and outshines over everyone in the entire film. When she first came on screen, I immediately had that Dakota Fanning/Abigail Breslin vibe, but she really shined on her own. Her character was so down to earth and just worked perfectly with Costner's stupidity. It was the perfect YING/YANG situation.”
Kevin McCarthy - Article ------

- “His most redeeming quality, by far, is his daughter, Molly (dazzling newcomer Madeline Carroll), a precocious, over-achieving 12-year-old with wisdom far beyond her years.”
Brandon Fibbs - Article ------

- “Carroll is a charming screen presence…”
Nell Minow - Article ------

- “Bud (Kevin Costner) and Molly Johnson (gifted newcomer Madeline Carroll) assume Hollywood's textbook father-daughter duo”
Sean O'Connell - Article ------

- “The picture's message is admirable and young Madeline Carroll exhibits real acting chops …”
Laura Clifford - Article ------

- “Kid actors can make or break a movie. Overly precocious, they're annoying and manipulative. Sincere and intelligent, they can charm the socks off an audience. Consider this audience socks-less—Carroll is fantastic as the tic-free and lovable Molly.”
Dezhda Gaubert - Article ------

- “Madeline Carroll (2007's "Resident Evil: Extinction") is nothing if not confident and charismatic as the intelligent, put-upon Molly.”
Dustin Putman - Article ------

- “Madeline Carroll shines as Molly, a responsible little girl who helps her dad grow up.”
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat - Article ------

- “… 12-year-old daughter, played—and very well—by Madeline Carroll …”
Michael Phillips - Article ------

- “Young Madeline Carroll is splendid in the role, which during some stretches of the film, is really the lead. She's clear-eyed and outspoken, has faith in her dad and despite his drinking, loves living with him.”
Roger Ebert - Article ------

- “The 12-year-old actress Madeline Carroll is terrific, easily holding her own among the more experienced cast members, and really selling the emotions in a crucial scene where she expresses her love for her screw-up father to her school class.”
Eric D. Snider - Article ------

- “Madeline Carroll, a pint-size Ellen Page in training …”
Lisa Schwarzbaum - Article ------

- “…Madeline Carroll, appealing and talented…”
Katey Rich - Article ------

- “A father-daughter drama is mixed in, aided considerably by the charms of newcomer Madeline Carroll as Costner's 12-year-old daughter, long-suffering yet wise and intelligent - the obvious grown-up in the family.”
Bill Goodykoontz - Article ------

- "I’ll be shocked if Madeline Carroll [who plays Kevin Costner’s daughter] doesn’t win an Academy Award. She’s the best child actor I’ve ever seen."
Chris Matthews, MSNBC - Article ------

- Standing sturdily at the center of this maelstrom is Molly, and it is an engaging, plucky performance by young Madeline Carroll. "She was our X-factor," Costner told me. "Where was she going to come from? We found this very natural talent, and when you take a natural talent and you put it in a script with an IQ, even though it's a zany little comedy, that's the perfect blend. You have the words written, but you need someone who can inhabit those words, because being cute is not enough. Something else has to happen."
Roger Ebert - Article ------

- The acting was good, too. Costner plays against stereotype and put on a believable, likeable loser. The movie is really held together, though, by the acting of Madeline Carroll, who plays Bud’s precocious daughter, Molly. If she wasn’t such a good actress none of this would’ve been remotely believable. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of her.
Mark Turner - Article ------