AllMovie

Those viewers who will sit through absolutely anything for a good cry will get the most out of Sentimental Journey. Those who have a low tolerance for the mawkish and the blatantly manipulative will break out in hives midway through Sentimental and are well advised to avoid it altogether. Indeed, there's very little in Sentimental to make it worth taking this particular journey; this is the kind of film that gives soap operas a bad name. The script is simply dreadful, an all-out attempt to do nothing more than bring forth tears. The set-up is trite, and every inch of the screenplay is designed to tug, tug, TUG at those heart strings and get those tear ducts flowing. Unfortunately, many viewers will respond not with tears but with derisive laughter. Under the circumstances, one can't expect great performances, but even so one is disappointed in Maureen O'Hara and Cedric Hardwicke and actively annoyed by John Payne. The film's one bright spot is William Bendix; his character unhampered by the soapiness, the actor provides some delicious comedy that the film sorely needs.