In the story, Maud (Hawkins) struggles with rheumatoid arthritis, the memory of a lost child, and a family that doubts her abilities, before moving in with a surly fish peddler (Hawke) as a housekeeper.

[7] After screenwriter Sherry White's work was submitted to director Aisling Walsh for consideration, she opted to commit to the project, claiming she contacted her agent after reading only about 30 pages.

[10] Producers believed Newfoundlanders could provide more funding for cinema, while the project also received financial support from Ontario and Ireland, the latter being where Walsh and much of her team were from.

[8] The crew also gathered houseflies for weeks to depict an infestation of the house, particularly for the scene where Maud attempts to persuade Everett to buy a screen door.

[11] The film's wider Canadian theatrical release took place on 14 April 2017 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver.

[16] Plans were made for it to screen all weekend in Halifax, during which the newly found painting Portrait of Eddie Barnes and Ed Murphy, Lobster Fishermen, Bay View, N.S.

[16] Sony Pictures Classics acquired rights to distribute the film in the U.S., U.K., Ireland, Latin America, Scandinavia, Italy, South Africa, Portugal, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and select Asian and Eastern European territories, scheduling a theatrical release in the U.S. on 16 June.

[11][2] On 27 April, it was showing on 30 screens, half of which were in Atlantic Canada, while Mongrel Media planned releases in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and Japan by the end of 2017.

[30] In Variety, Peter Debruge said the Lewis character stood out for "indefatigable optimism", despite living conditions given her gruff husband and small home.

[1] The Hollywood Reporter critic Todd McCarthy commended the photography and Hawkins for "A stellar, warmly persuasive starring turn".

[32] The New York Times critic Manohla Dargis wrote Maudie overcame viewer skepticism, and cited Hawkins for bringing Lewis out.

[38] Luc Boulanger gave it three stars in La Presse, saluting Hawkins and expressing regret Lewis' art was obscure in Quebec.

[39] In Ireland, Donald Clarke called it a "wonderful study" in The Irish Times, finding the tone sad and remarking on poverty as subject matter, but said it displayed "benevolence and quiet humanism", and gave it four of five stars.

[40] The Irish Independent's Paul Whitington wrote "Maudie cleverly avoids mawkishness and sentiment to give us a raw and pared back version of Lewis's remarkable life".

[44] During the 2017 Nova Scotia election campaign, CTV News anchor Steve Murphy asked Premier Stephen McNeil if he rued the reduction of the film credit after Maudie moved to Newfoundland.

[10] The film stimulated a resurgence of interest in Lewis' work, with Consignor Art in Toronto moving her painting Three Black Cats to more prominent exhibition space in spring 2017 and reporting great attendance.

[62] The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia reported 3,134 people came to see Lewis' work and house, relocated there, between March and the beginning of May, an increase from 2,084 the prior year.