--- title: "Brian and Charles: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/brian-and-charles/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/brian-and-charles" critics_score: 69 critics_reviews: 23 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." --- # Brian and Charles (2022): what the critics said Critics' score 69 from 23 reviews: 15 positive, 6 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics find Brian and Charles a warm, funny comedy whose central friendship makes its modest story worth following. Praise centres on David Earl and Chris Hayward’s rapport, with Hayward’s physical performance and Charles’s deadpan digital voice drawing particular affection. The robot’s curiosity and growing cheekiness supply much of the humour, while Brian’s loneliness gives the companionship an emotional weight that several reviews find quietly touching. The reservations concern how far that relationship can carry a feature. Even favourable reviews note thin plotting, familiar conflicts and an inconsistent mockumentary format; others find the sentimentality harder to accept. The spread is fairly wide, though positive responses predominate. Slant Magazine argues that the supporting characters and wider story become generic filler, while the Los Angeles Times finds that the appealing premise cannot overcome meandering storytelling and an uncertain emotional tone. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 July 2022. Bradshaw finds the film an emotionally engaging comedy that successfully shifts between irony, menace and a sweet-natured ending. He singles out Charles’s comic appearance and voice, which prompt one of the review’s most amused reactions. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/06/brian-and-charles-review-david-earl-chris-haywood-inventor-robot-comedy) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Sheri Linden Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 17 June 2022. The critic finds the film inventive, disarming, and warmly suitable for all ages. She praises the sincere performances and the gentle, underplayed magic of Brian and Charles’s friendship. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/brian-and-charles-review-1235159264/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 4/5. 7 July 2022. O'Sullivan finds the film a treat despite its lack of finesse. She praises the sharp dialogue for making its fantastical parenthood story feel hilariously real, while criticizing the threadbare plot and loose mockumentary conceit. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/brian-and-charles-film-review-b1010796.html) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 4 July 2022. The critic calls it a funny, touching, bittersweet surprise. The review singles out the robot buddy comedy’s unusual charm. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/brian-and-charles-2022) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 13 July 2022. The critic finds it an immediately likeable, charmingly homespun comic fable about loneliness and friendship. They particularly praise Chris Hayward’s physical performance, which makes the deadpan robot Charles an endearing comic character. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/brian-and-charles/) ## Variety — Tomris Laffly Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 June 2022. Laffly finds the film a sweetly optimistic charmer, though its quirks and limited conflict grow repetitive. She especially praises its compassionate portrayal of Brian’s loneliness and his heartwarming bond with Charles. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/brian-and-charles-review-1235294734/) ## Screen Daily — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 74/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2022. Festival review. The review presents the film as a warm-hearted comedy. It highlights Jim Archer’s expansion of his award-winning short into a feature. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/brian-and-charles-sundance-review/5166461.article) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B-. 16 June 2022. Ehrlich finds the comedy charming but slight, and says it loses steam when it leaves the farm. He praises Charles’s endearing childlike curiosity and the easy chemistry between the robot and Brian. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/brian-and-charles-review-1234734477/) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 July 2022. The review finds the film a charming, comforting comedy with a warm heart, though its expanded story loses some of the short’s sharper edges. It praises the gentle British humour and the characters’ appeal, especially Charles’s cabbage-loving antics and speech-synthesised teenage sarcasm. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/brian-charles-charmingly-lo-fi-sci-fi-mockumentary) ## The AV Club — Leigh Monson Rating B-. 17 June 2022. Monson finds the film charming and frequently funny, though its third act turns overly sentimental and fails to land its themes. The review especially praises the deadpan chemistry between Brian and Charles and their odd-couple companionship. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/brian-and-charles-review-jim-archer-david-earl-chris-ha-1849051601) ## Film Comment — Joseph Blanco Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The accessible text does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also provides no detail about what the critic praises or complains about. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/whither-the-charles/) ## RogerEbert.com Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The page is blocked by a browser-check screen, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint about the film is available in the supplied text. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/festivals/sundance-2022-brian-and-charles-the-cow-who-sang-a-song-into-the-future-dos-estaciones-girl-picture) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 16 June 2022. The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. No review details were accessible beyond the URL identifying the film. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/16/movies/brian-and-charles-review.html) ## Little White Lies — Laura Venning Rating 3/3/3. 7 July 2022. Venning finds the film awkward but ultimately endearing, though its plot mechanics and expanded length fall short. She praises Charles’s expressive physicality and deadpan humor, while noting the film’s sweetness and melancholic undertone. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/brian-and-charles) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith Rating 2/4. 12 June 2022. Smith finds the film sweet and charming at times but says its expansion beyond the central friendship becomes generic narrative filler. He praises the odd, amiable interactions between Brian and Charles, while criticizing the thinly developed love interest and antagonist. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/brian-and-charles-review/) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 2/5. Mottram presents it as a delicate comic tale of loneliness and friendship. He singles out the tentative romance between Brian and Hazel for its delicacy. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-a5m1wq/brian-and-charles/) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 16 June 2022. Abele finds the film’s whimsy charming in concept but says its meandering storytelling and uncertain emotional tone leave it flat. He praises Charles’ growing cheekiness, while criticizing the mockumentary format and the film’s lack of creative momentum. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-06-16/review-brian-and-charles-welsh-robot-comedy) ## Film Stories — Freda Cooper Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 July 2022. The review finds the film delightful, balancing surreal humour with tenderness. It singles out David Earl and Chris Hayward’s performances as a joy to watch. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/brian-and-charles-review-surreal-and-tender-comedy-drama/) ## /Film — Ethan Anderton Rating 8/10. 24 January 2022. Festival review. The critic finds the film an endlessly charming, funny, and delightfully lo-fi comedy, despite its familiar storytelling and occasional shortage of bigger laughs. They especially praise the endearing chemistry between Brian and Charles, enhanced by Charles’s deadpan digital voice. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/745848/brian-and-charles-review-friendship-blossoms-in-a-lo-fi-frankenstein-riff-with-a-kooky-robot-sundance-2022/) ## NME — Alex Flood Rating 4/5. 29 June 2022. The review finds the film a uniquely charming, warm-hearted British indie comedy despite its familiar story. It singles out Charles’s unsettling strangeness as the source of the film’s best laughs. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/brian-and-charles-review-david-earl-3263937) ## Paste — Aurora Amidon Rating 7.7. 14 June 2022. Amidon finds the film fiercely original, funny, and uplifting, despite shortcomings in its third act. She especially praises Charles’s endearing curiosity and backtalk, while noting that his human-like movements strain believability. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jim-archer/brian-and-charles-review) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 June 2022. The critic finds the film a big-hearted, funny buddy comedy, though its one-joke premise and uneven mockumentary style limit it. They single out Earl and Hayward’s chemistry and the joy in Brian and Charles learning about the world together. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/brian-and-charles-film-review-david-earl-chris-hayward/) ## Eye for Film — Jeremy Mathews Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 2022. Festival review. The critic finds the film charming and endearing despite its loose narrative and uneven follow-through. They praise the rapport between David Earl and Chris Hayward, which anchors the comedy. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/brian-and-charles-2022-film-review-by-jeremy-mathews) --- © 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/brian-and-charles.md