Heartfelt, but overwrought and overplayed throughout.

There's such a winning earnestness to it that I think [director David Oyelowo] comes by honestly.

The Water Man feels a little watered-down even by the standards of its genre, with somewhat less heft than the old Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, which created a classy environment to sell greeting cards woven into the drama.

... Good-hearted but unexciting drama.