---
title: "Beautiful Thing: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/beautiful-thing/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/beautiful-thing"
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 8
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Beautiful Thing (1996): what the critics said

Critics' score 76 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative.

With only 5 reviews in so far, most critics respond warmly to Beautiful Thing’s working-class teenage romance, praising the raw-edged performances, humour and lively supporting characters. The young leads earn praise, with Linda Henry’s single mother also singled out. Reservations concern depth and cinematic shape rather than the film’s warmth. Slant Magazine finds the adolescent emotions honest and the supporting characters complex. RogerEbert.com sees the central pair as underdeveloped and finds more interest in those around them. Variety enjoys the comedy and fresh performances but finds it lacking in cinematic shape. The spread is favourable to mixed, with no outright rejection.

## Film Comment — Michael Koresky

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 April 2018. 

The critic praises the film's tender, rough-edged coming-out story and its unusually positive, non-miserabilist take on working-class queer youth in 1990s London. They single out the memorable use of Mamas & the Papas songs and the film's sense of place and hopeful ending as standout elements.

[Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/beautiful-thing-1996-hettie-macdonald-1996/)

## Time Out — TCh

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2015. 

The critic calls it a real winner and an urban fairytale set in Thamesmead. They single out the funny romantic screenplay and Linda Henry's formidable performance as the standout elements that make it a likely gay crossover hit.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/beautiful-thing)

## Little White Lies — Emily Maskell

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 June 2021. 

The critic praises Hettie Macdonald’s 1996 film as a grounded, kitchen-sink ode to queer youth and acceptance set on a South London council estate. She singles out its tender, non-explicit portrayal of the boys’ budding intimacy and the defiant, hopeful ending of communal acceptance.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/beautiful-thing-hettie-macdonald-coming-out-movie)

## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 April 2003. 

The critic calls the film one of the most honest and moving gay youth dramas, praising its realistic take on adolescent agony giving way to romance and its complex supporting characters.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/beautiful-thing/)

## The New York Times — Stephen Holden

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 1996. 

The film is a well-acted Cinderella story about two shy gay teenagers falling in love in a working-class London housing project, buoyed by strong performances from the young leads.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/09/movies/finally-finding-a-mate-in-working-class-london.html)

## Variety — Derek Elley

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 1996. Festival review. 

This rough-and-ready working-class comedy with a feel-good gay theme features fresh performances from unknowns and an infectiously funny tone, though it lacks cinematic shape.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/beautiful-thing-1200445511/)

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 3/5. 

The review describes it as an urban fairy tale about two teenage neighbours discovering they are gay. It praises the raw-edged performances of the leads and especially highlights Linda Henry's shining turn as the indomitable single mother.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-4q111z/beautiful-thing/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 1996. 

The film is a coming-out fantasy with limited depth for the two leads, but it shines through its quirky and unpredictable peripheral characters like the boys' mothers and neighbors.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beautiful-thing-1996)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/beautiful-thing.md