Film Review: SARAH’S OIL (2025): A Conventional, but Factual, Story Told in an Entertaining Fashion
Sarah’s Oil Review
Sarah’s Oil (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh, written by Tonya Bolden, Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh and Cyrus Nowrasteh and starring Zachary Levi, Naya Desir-Johnson, Sonequa Martin-Green, Garret Dillahunt, Mel Rodriguez, Kenric Green, Bridget Regan, Adyan Copes, Stelio Savante, Selase Botchway, Vic Trevino, Marco Fuller, Tom Ohmer, Malea Mitchell, Ryan O’Quinn, Robert Goodman and Jonathan Lipnicki.
Set in Oklahoma during the early 1900’s, Sarah’s Oil is a rousing drama about a young African-American girl named Sarah (Naya Desir-Johnson) who is residing above land which may, indeed, be rich with oil down below. Zachary Levi co-stars in the movie as a kind and ambitious wanderer named Bert who befriends Sarah. We don’t know if Bert will turn on her or not, and try to get rich himself thanks to her discovery. However, because Bert is played by a superhero movie star (Levi of Shazam! fame), we hope for the best. Sarah’s Oil is a conventional, although fact-based, movie that rests on the assumption that things will turn out alright being that it is based on a famous book which was (for the most part) a true story.
Director Cyrus Nowrasteh doesn’t spare the charming moments where we get to see how well-spoken and smart Sarah is. As played by Desir-Johnson, there’s a lot of appeal to the character of Sarah which makes her a screen presence that young people will easily identify with. Her scenes with the suspicious, but apparently well-meaning, Bert are endearing and even though Bert tends to try to pull a fast one over on Sarah now and again, this movie features characters who are determined to see Sarah succeed and help her along the way. There is also, of course, the addition of other less-kind characters who are out to get Sarah and try to use her discovery for their own profiteering schemes.
Sonequa Martin-Green and Kenric Green play Rose and Joe who are Sarah’s parents. They are determined to protect their daughter at any cost. Martin-Green and Green play their parts earnestly and have a few good scenes showcased even if they could have been developed a bit more in a lengthier film. Adyan Copes ably plays Junior, Sarah’s young brother.
This film is also rich with other fine supporting turns. Tom Ohmer as Judge Leahy plays his part believably and offers diligence in terms of the way he acts in the role. As the educated and pleasant female lawyer who comes to Sarah’s aid, Kate, Bridget Regan is terrific as well. Again, these two roles have just as minimal screen time as the parents do, yet the actors get just enough time to make their presence in the material known with likable characterizations. In addition, Mel Rodriguez as the essentially kind friend of Bert, Mace, also gets to shine in his brief screen time.
This movie has the feeling as if it’s been done before, but the production values are solid enough to enjoy the film’s story line in order to see how Sarah obtained her riches and how she had to fight to protect herself from con-artists and those who flat out wanted to kill her in the name of obtaining those riches. There are bad guys present who are mostly forgettable to watch because they’re your basic movie villains who just exist to progress the story line and have no real depth at all to them.
That being said, Sarah’s Oil is rich in terms of its entertainment value. The rapport between Levi and Desir-Johnson’s characters is pleasant and enjoyable to watch with Levi, in particular, adding his distinct charisma to the role. There is no shortage of scenes where Sarah admits that she’s willing to help Bert just as much as he promises to help her. Bert has a lot of depth even though we don’t know all of his backstory. We know just enough to appreciate the bond between Bert and Sarah that is formed on-screen.
Desir-Johnson acquits herself admirably in the role of Sarah. She has just enough of a pleasant demeanor to keep us rooting for her even if the script could have used just a tad more development of her character than we’re ultimately treated to. Still, the entertaining nature of the picture carries it through its flaws, making it the type of movie that most families could watch together without any problems. There are some minimal hints of violence and gunfire towards the end which may make it better for kids over 11 which is actually the age Sarah is in the movie.
This film ends with a picture of the real-life Sarah on her wedding day. We don’t know everything that happened to Sarah, but we are told she did pretty well financially and was a pivotal part of history. Sarah’s Oil is the type of movie that will keep you intrigued even if it is just as ordinary a movie as these types of films go. There’s a scene where Sarah immerses herself in the oil that’s shooting up towards the end that feels more like a movie moment rather than a genuine one. Sarah’s Oil wants to be a traditional Hollywood movie whereas something a bit more unconventional could have been welcomed in this particular case. However, people have responded to the movie well and, overall, I enjoyed it too.
Rating: 7/10
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