The Weinstein Company will unveil "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" on Thanksgiving weekend hoping to garner Oscar Buzz.
The new movie, starring Idris Elba and Naomi Harris, chronicles the life of Nelson Mandela from his childhood in a rural village to his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.
The movie recently premiered at the Toronto Film Festival where it was met with mixed reviews. However, critics praised Elba for his towering performance as Mandela.
Jocelyn Noveck from the Associated Press gave the film three stars out of four and stated, "Elba has so inhabited the character that you might be stunned to see photos of the real man, during credits, and realize the extensive physical differences."
Peter Travers from Rolling Stone also like Elba's performance and wrote, "In those moments when Elba shows the doubts, compromises and complications that make the man, we get glimpses of a life truly lived."
Stephen Holden from the New York Times also praised the actor and wrote, "Mr. Elba is completely convincing as a natural leader with a ferocious drive."
However, Mark Jenkins from NPR gave the film a negative review and wrote, "Mostly ... the movie is designed for people who already know some history of South Africa from 1942 to 1994, or who don't much care."
Andrew Schenker from Slant magazine also disliked the film and wrote, "A cursory history lesson with no interest in probing the deeper or more complex implications of Mandela's positions and their relationship to his country's shifting landscape."
The Weinstein Company will release the movie in four theaters. The film is rated PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence and disturbing images, sexual content and brief strong language.