A Little Prayer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

A Little Prayer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 4, 2026

Who knew that there was a film award called the Golden Thumb? Well, not this reviewer, and when the prize is bestowed upon writer and director Angus McLachlan at Ebertfest in a supplement included on this disc, and the hostess mentions that the hand adorning the award was cast from Ebert's original appendage, all I could think was, "Wow, did he ever have a mutant sized thumb!" If the Golden Thumb is still not generally very well known, the Spirit Awards might be better recognized, and it may be salient to note that A Little Prayer did get two nominations from that august organization as well, which is all to say that this "little" film packs a surprisingly visceral emotional wallop as it details some admittedly everyday dysfunctions in a "typical" family.

Bill (David Straitharn) and Venida (Celia Weston) are parents to adult children David (Will Pullen) and Patti (Anna Camp). While they are ostensibly so-called "empty nesters", David and his wife Tammy (Jane Levy) actually live in a quasi-ADU at the back of Bill and Venida's gorgeous property, and Patti evidently has a history of showing up intermittently when she's been arguing with her husband. It soon becomes apparent that in-law Tammy may be a better "child" to Bill and Venida than either David or Patti. Things get even more convoluted when Patti suddenly shows up, once again estranged from her husband. In the meantime, Bill has become pretty sure that David is cheating on Tammy, and the film deals with the parental units' efforts to navigate the struggles their children are going through, and which in at least some cases are partially self created.

This is a quiet film built on intimate moments between believable characters. There's just a bit of a soap operatic ambience as things cartwheel during the third act in particular with Bill confronting David's mistress (after having confronted David repeatedly), but A Little Prayer commendably offers heartfelt performances and a really beautiful account of a loving relationship between a father-in-law and his daughter-in-law, a family dynamic that isn't really featured that often. Some of the writing and characterization can be on the precious side (especially with regard to Venida), but there's both sly humor and pathos in abundance here.

While the two films are hugely different in any number of ways, I'd suggest that those who are fond of outings like another film with the same size adjective in its title, Little Miss Sunshine, will probably really like this one as well. There's also just the barest hint of some magical realism here that really isn't in Little Miss Sunshine with regard to a never seen mystically inclined singer whose vocalizations can be heard throughout the neighborhood.

A Little Prayer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A Little Prayer is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Music Box Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.56:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa Mini LF as having been utilized, but rather fascinatingly also states the process and negative source were ProRes 4444 (HQ) rather than Arriraw, perhaps for workflow and storage reasons. One way or the other, this is a sharp and appealing looking presentation which doesn't really try to mimic the look of traditional film but which offers a nicely burnished palette and generally very commendable detail levels. Close-ups in particular offer some excellent fine detail levels on faces.

A Little Prayer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

A Little Prayer features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. The stereo track frankly probably offers a substantial enough listening experience on its own, but the surround track does notably open up some of the source cues (including some maybe slightly unusual choices like "Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella" as well as "the unseen singer" and her material), as well as some of the ambient environmental effects in some outdoor material (like the moving closing vignette between David and Tammy). Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

A Little Prayer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Feature Audio Commentary by Director Angus MacLachlan


• Panel Discussion from Eberfest 2025 (HD; 48:49) includes the bestowal of the iconic (?) Golden Thumb Award, and for anyone who gets this disc and checks out this supplement, pay attention to how freakishly long Ebert's thumb is on the statue.


• Inside the Arthouse (HD; 36:04) is an interview with Jane Levy and Angus MacLachlan.


• Image Gallery (HD)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:31)

The sleeve contains an inner print with a photo of the family around the dinner table.

A Little Prayer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As evidenced by some passing comments given when that infamous Golden Thumb is given to Angus MacLachlan, the MacLachlan written Junebug (link points to a Region B release) was evidently a big favorite of Roger Ebert's, and somewhat as with Little Miss Sunshine, anyone who enjoyed that effort will probably find at least some similar aspects to this film that link it to the earlier MacLachlan enterprise. Technical merits are first rate and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.