--- title: "Good Bye, Lenin!: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/good-bye-lenin/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/good-bye-lenin" critics_score: 72 critics_reviews: 9 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." --- # Good Bye, Lenin! (2003): what the critics said Critics' score 72 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics like it, and warmly. The reviews agree that Wolfgang Becker’s premise, a son faking the survival of East Germany for his bedridden mother, is an inspired one, and that the film gets its laughs without tipping into farce. Praise clusters around the balance of satire and pathos, with several critics moved by the final act more than they expected. The performances of Katrin Sass and Daniel Brühl are singled out as the emotional core, and the faked East German newscasts get the biggest laughs. The reservations are mostly about length. Several reviews find it outstays its welcome, with the father subplot and the third act drawing the most complaints, and one objects to the heavy voice-over. The spread is narrow apart from one clear dissent: The Times gives it two stars, finding it funny and moving but half an hour too long. The New Yorker also notes the drab colour and lighting under the jokes. ## Empire — Olly Richards Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The film offers an inspired comic premise of a son shielding his mother from the fall of the Berlin Wall, handled with delicate humour rather than farce. It is charming and original, though it slightly overextends in the third act. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/good-bye-lenin-review/) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 24 February 2004. The film is a successful blend of goofy political farce and sober family drama that mourns the end of a noble social experiment while acknowledging its failures. It singles out the hilarious videotaped faux-newscasts that mimic Cold War-era communist television. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/good-bye-lenin-1798199344) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2012. Calls the film touching and beautifully acted, noting it establishes political context and family dynamics despite a farcical conceit. Highlights the surprisingly moving final act and sardonic take on the fall of the Wall. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/good-bye-lenin) ## Evening Standard — Neil Norman Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. Wolfgang Becker's political satire is refreshing, funny and surprisingly moving despite ultimately outstaying its welcome. Its real success lies in the human comedy and peripheral observations rather than the central one-joke premise. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/mothers-soviet-block-7435412.html) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 January 2004. Becker’s playful film examines the effects of American globalization abroad through a son’s elaborate scheme to shield his mother. It singles out the hopeful symbolism likening Germany’s political upheavals to family traumas and evokes a happy in-between state. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/good-bye-lenin/) ## Radio Times — Jason Caro Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). Notes the quirky and amusing perspective on reunification with big laughs and nicely done social comment, though some subplots are less skillfully integrated. Highlights it as a critical and commercial smash. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-j6cmdb/good-bye-lenin/) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 March 2004. The critic calls the film a sweetly enjoyable sardonic elegy for a dream that went bust, praising its delicate blend of satire and pathos and the communal humanism it honors. He notes that despite the jokes, the movie is often drab in color and lighting. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/03/08/women-and-the-system) ## The Times — Cosmo Landesman Rating 2/5. 27 July 2003. The critic calls it a funny and moving German film about a son recreating the GDR for his mother but notes it would have been better if cut by half an hour and criticises the handling of the father subplot. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/europe-travel/germany/berlin/film-right-on-the-marx-737kr02hdlw) ## Screen Daily 11 February 2003. Festival review. Describes a high-concept comedy-drama with a strong script, watchable lead performance and cinematic gloss that turns into a moving, multi-layered drama. Notes it is overlong but likely to be a successful export. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/good-bye-lenin/4012221.article) ## Sight and Sound — Richard Falcon Praises Wolfgang Becker's wonderful bittersweet comedy for its intelligent high concept and emotional depth. Singles out the subtle, winning performances by Katrin Sass and Daniel Brühl as the emotional core. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/1222) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 25 July 2003. The critic finds the film a clever and poignant Rip Van Winkle parable that satirises the old East German state while celebrating a son's love for his mother. It mixes political satire with personal drama in a way that highlights the speed of historical change after the Wall fell. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/jul/25/artsfeatures.dvdreviews) ## The New York Times — Elvis Mitchell 27 February 2004. The critic finds the film a softhearted tribute to Communism whose knobby tone somewhat mutes its crowd-pleasing ambitions. Becker wryly uses the son's scramble to recreate East German life to tweak the encroachment of capitalism. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/27/movies/film-review-restoring-a-berlin-wall-to-comfort-dear-old-mom.html) ## The Telegraph — Sukhdev Sandhu 25 July 2003. The review highlights the film's poignant and beautifully observed comedy that captures 'ostalgie' and the disappointment of many East Germans with Western changes. It praises the performances and the sympathetic portrayal of idealism in a moving and funny story. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3599271/Full-of-Eastern-promise.html) ## Variety — Eddie Cockrell 10 February 2003. Festival review. The critic describes the film as a big-hearted, crowd-pleasing dramatic comedy and a treat for audiences of all nations, hailing its triumph of historical verisimilitude and the moving story of a son's love for his mother. He praises the delicate blend of satire and pathos along with strong performances, especially from the mature cast. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2003/film/awards/good-bye-lenin-1200543523/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 July 2003. The critic finds Wolfgang Becker's film charming and calls it a modern fable centered on a son's elaborate efforts to shield his mother from the fall of the GDR. It praises the emotional exploration of change and loss but notes the plot device is not enough to sustain the whole movie and criticizes heavy use of voice-over narration. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/goodbye-lenin-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © 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/good-bye-lenin.md