review for A Price Above Rubies on AllMovie

While the initial idea of casting Renee Zellweger as an Orthodox Jewish wife seems fairy ludicrous, her richly drawn, expressive performance is the chief selling point of this often overearnest but sometimes rewarding drama. The central story of the main character's desire to escape her passionless marriage and suffocating existence is older than the Bible, but Zellweger makes the role believable and noteworthy, and sidesteps many of the clichés a lesser performance might employ. Boaz Yakin has assembled a top-drawer cast besides Zellweger, but the film would have benefited from a tighter script and a resistance to creating soap opera (especially in the form of Zellweger's lover, played by Allen Payne). Director Yakin was greeted with jeers from the Brooklyn Hasidic community depicted in the film, presumably for casting Hollywood beauty Zellweger in the title role and bucking more traditional casting; upon release, even lukewarm reviews were quick to praise her solid portrayal.