--- title: "Brooklyn: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/brooklyn/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/brooklyn" critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 22 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." --- # Brooklyn (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 80 from 22 reviews: 20 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics warmly welcome Brooklyn as a sincere, old-fashioned drama that gives homesickness and the experience of a young woman emigrating unusual care. Praise centres on Saoirse Ronan’s restrained performance, particularly her ability to convey uncertainty, loneliness and growing confidence with small changes of expression. John Crowley’s direction and Nick Hornby’s adaptation also draw approval for their emotional balance, while the romance benefits from Ronan’s chemistry with Emory Cohen. The reservations concern how neatly the story is arranged: some reviews find supporting characters thin, later developments contrived and the restraint occasionally flattening. Little White Lies admires Ronan but finds the film short of passion; The New Yorker dissents much more sharply, arguing that the adaptation strips away complexity and ambiguity. The spread is therefore wide at the extremes, though praise dominates, and even the strongest dissent finds Ronan working to give the story feeling. ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 5/5. 2 November 2015. Crowley's big-hearted adaptation rescues sincere moviemaking about decent characters facing ethical dilemmas. Ronan's quietly expressive performance forms the film's beating heart. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/brooklyn) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating A-. 5 November 2015. The review praises Saoirse Ronan's career-defining performance and the film's masterfully crafted, heartfelt old-fashioned entertainment value, while noting some contrived and overly melodramatic elements in the later drama. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/saoirse-ronan-gives-a-winning-performance-in-the-rich-r-1798185514) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2015. Festival review. The critic calls it a beautiful and moving film, classily and classically crafted by director John Crowley and screenwriter Nick Hornby, with superb acting and a transporting sense of time, place, and social mores. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/brooklyn-sundance-review-767488/) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2015. It is rare to see any immigrant experience through a young woman’s perceptions, and the critic praises Saoirse Ronan’s polished and feeling performance as a timid girl thrown into post-War America. The adaptation focuses sensitively on vulnerability and conflict, achieved with subtle old-fashioned elegance. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/brooklyn-review/) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2015. The critic finds this a calm, spellbinding literary adaptation that rewards readers of the source novel while standing on its own as a vibrant film. It singles out the director's plangent images, the nimble dialogue, and Saoirse Ronan's performance for conveying the protagonist's emotional shifts and maturation. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-brooklyn-saoirse-ronan/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2015. Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s novel beautifully depicts a time when decisions in romance were a leap of faith. The critic singles out Saoirse Ronan’s performance, noting that the film lives in her face and her ability to suggest a great deal by doing very little. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/brooklyn-film-review-more-tender-than-tinder-a3108391.html) ## Radio Times — Dave Aldridge Rating 4/5. This sweet, crowd-pleasing tale shows Ronan coming of age as a woman torn between two worlds. It is hugely likeable old-fashioned entertainment that will move viewers. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-129x1g/brooklyn/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2015. Festival review. An earnest, wholesome and stirring drama with all the makings of an indie-film darling. It is refreshing for focusing on a female migrant experience, elevated by Ronan's dazzling performance. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/brooklyn/5082301.article) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 14 April 2016. The review highlights the pulse-quickening chemistry between leads Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen as a miracle of casting and direction. It praises the film's emotional charge in depicting the wrenching decision to emigrate and the mature performance by Ronan. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/04/14/brooklyn-review-pulse-quickeningly-good/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 November 2015. The critic highlights Saoirse Ronan's magnetic performance that anchors the delicate film and commends its graceful exploration of Irish ambivalence, homesickness, and the pull of two appealing suitors and lives. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/movie-review-brooklyn.html) ## Slant Magazine — Elise Nakhnikian Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 October 2015. The review commends Saoirse Ronan's quiet, watchful intensity and the film's grounding in complex emotions of emigration and homesickness, while faulting thinly sketched characters, contrivances, and occasional heavy-handed elements. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/brooklyn/) ## Little White Lies — Trevor Johnston Rating 3/3/3. 4 November 2015. Ronan delivers a mesmerising performance in a story worth telling, though it lacks passion. A basic emotional truth about the material lingers despite the measured approach. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/brooklyn) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2015. The review finds the film a simplistic and overly sanitized piece of art-house preciosity that reduces its source material to a bland, type-confined narrative without depth or ambiguity. Saoirse Ronan's lead performance is noted as the one element that works hard to bring some feeling to the proceedings. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-sanitized-past-of-brooklyn) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 3 November 2015. The film is described as masterfully done and emotionally rich, impeccably directed with heart-stopping performances, particularly from Saoirse Ronan, in a story about love, loneliness and finding home. The adaptation by Nick Hornby and direction by John Crowley are praised for maintaining perfect emotional balance. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-brooklyn-review-20151104-column.html) ## Sight and Sound — Philip Kemp 6 November 2015. The film is a superior Irish-emigrant drama with a rare female viewpoint. It is elevated by Ronan's subtle, understated performance as a young woman torn between two places and lives. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-brooklyn) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 5 November 2015. The critic praises Saoirse Ronan's luminous lead performance as the heart of the film, lifting the adaptation out of sentimental nostalgia into intelligent drama. They single out Ronan's ability to convey youth, sadness and premonition in close-up as the standout element. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/05/brooklyn-review-saoirse-ronan-shines-in-nick-hornby-colm-toibin-drama) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott 3 November 2015. The critic praises the film as a lovely, sharply observed and gently nostalgic drama about immigration, home and personal transformation in 1950s Ireland and Brooklyn. Saoirse Ronan's performance as the young woman caught between two worlds is singled out as remarkable for its force and sensitivity. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/04/movies/review-resettling-the-meaning-of-home-in-brooklyn-with-saoirse-ronan.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 30 January 2015. Festival review. The sensitive adaptation is called beautifully written but somewhat flat, with strong performances from Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen that help it satisfy audiences seeking emotional resonance. It is noted as a tender, escapist period drama that should find mainstream appeal after its Sundance premiere. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/sundance-film-review-saoirse-ronan-in-brooklyn-1201419559/) ## Den of Geek — Mark Harrison Rating 5/5. 10 November 2015. The review calls Brooklyn one of the best films of the year, an unassuming yet charming and sumptuous coming-of-age love story. It singles out Saoirse Ronan's incredible, understated performance as the magic at the heart of the film. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/brooklyn-review/) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating A. 28 January 2015. Festival review. Crowley’s exquisitely crafted film renders homesickness, love, and longing with poignant truthfulness and emotional intelligence. Ronan delivers an outstanding performance in this luminous, bittersweet portrayal of choices and belonging. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/sundance-review-john-crowleys-gorgeous-bittersweet-brooklyn-with-saoirse-ronan-domhnall-gleeson-emory-cohen-20150128) ## Collider — Adam Chitwood Rating A-. 6 November 2015. The film is a moving and funny chronicle of a young Irish woman's immigration to 1950s Brooklyn that brings rare empathy to the familiar story of leaving home and building a new life. Hornby's script and the lead performances stand out as particularly sharp and touching. [Read the review](https://collider.com/brooklyn-review/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 October 2015. The critic calls the film a gem and enormously moving, with Ronan delivering a luminous performance that places her in the Oscar race. It singles out the strong adaptation, balanced direction, and likable supporting turns from the male leads for praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2015/10/brooklyn-review-saoirse-ronan-immigrant-drama-fox-searchlight-1201595283/) ## Digital Spy — Ali Plumb Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 2015. The critic describes the film as well-acted, well-directed and well-shot, a flat-out good movie that is heartbreaking and uplifting. It singles out Saoirse Ronan's deft and delicate portrayal as likely Oscar material and Nick Hornby's best script yet. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a773424/brooklyn-review-saoirse-ronans-ticket-to-next-years-oscars/) ## HeyUGuys — Greg Wetherall Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 November 2015. The film sensitively explores the emotional rifts caused by duty, family, and romance across two continents. Ronan excels in conveying both period decorum and inner turmoil, with the two suitors portrayed as equally appealing in their own ways. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/brooklyn-review/) ## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Willams Rating 4/5. 2 November 2015. The review praises Brooklyn as a refreshingly old-fashioned melodrama with surprising depths and nuance about home and family. It singles out the touching romance and the funny moments thanks to the game cast and screenplay. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/brooklyn) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2015. The review finds the film a sweet, sincere old-fashioned romance that’s hard to resist despite its manipulations. It singles out Ronan’s performance and the skillful recreation of 1950s Brooklyn and immigrant life for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/brooklyn-review-saoirse-ronan-nick-hornby-colm-toibin/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2015. Festival review. The female-centric immigrant story brings freshness to a familiar tale, delivering unashamed old-school romance with earned emotional weight and strong performances, especially from Ronan and Cohen. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=26896) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 8.7. 28 November 2015. Brooklyn is a tender, well-mannered romance and a gorgeous document of the thrill and anguish of immigration that celebrates American life through its classical style and seamless storytelling. It captures the peaks of honest love and valleys of heartbreak as the protagonist chooses between two worlds. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/brooklyn) --- © 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/brooklyn.md