Sarah's Oil (2025)

Sarah’s Oil takes an ugly stretch of American history and sands it down into a family film, and that softness both helps and hurts. It’s inspired by the true story of Sarah Rector, a Black girl and Muscogee Nation descendant who, in 1913 Oklahoma, was granted land she was sure had oil under it. Naya Desir-Johnson plays Sarah with steady, stubborn confidence, and the movie is at its best when she simply refuses to be talked down to. Zachary Levi is a warm match as Bert Smith, the wildcatter she brings in after an oil executive, Jim Devnan, proves he can’t be trusted. The film is honest about the racism working against her family, but it keeps the danger at arm’s length, so the stakes never feel as sharp as they should. Crowds loved it, giving it a rare A+ CinemaScore. It made $11.7 million on a reported $18M. A 7.0 because Sarah’s story deserves to be known and this telling is sincere. $2,468 says the kids in your house walk out wanting to start a business.

What works: Naya Desir-Johnson gives Sarah real backbone, Zachary Levi is a warm partner, and the film is clear about the racism the Rectors faced.

What doesn’t: It tones a dangerous era down into a tidy family story, so the threats against Sarah never feel as sharp as they should.

Who it’s for: Families looking for a true story about a determined kid, and anyone who has never heard of Sarah Rector.