---
title: "La Dolce Vita: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/la-dolce-vita/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/la-dolce-vita"
critics_score: 83
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."
---

# La Dolce Vita (1960): what the critics said

Critics' score 83 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to La Dolce Vita, with praise centred on Fellini’s satire of celebrity, decadence and social hypocrisy. The reviews repeatedly single out Marcello Mastroianni’s performance, while the dreamlike imagery and black-and-white cinematography receive broad approval. Nino Rota’s score is another strength, and several accounts emphasise how familiar the film’s treatment of fame and the paparazzi remains. The prevailing view is of a film whose excitement coexists with melancholy and disgust.

The reservations concern length and structure rather than the performances or visual craft. Variety suggests that the running time tests some viewers while absorbing others. Eye for Film finds the film overlong and scattered, yet still admires its attack on celebrity and social decay. The available verdicts therefore range from enthusiastic praise to qualified admiration, with no outright rejection; even the more reserved accounts identify substantial strengths.

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 5/5. 

Parkinson presents the film as a scathing satire of Italian decadence and Catholic hypocrisy. He praises Mastroianni’s performance and singles out the memorable Trevi Fountain encounter with Anita Ekberg.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7r3lp0/la-dolce-vita/)

## Time Out — David Fear

Rating 5/5. 22 September 2024. 

The five-star rating signals an enthusiastic verdict. The page highlights the film’s striking images, including Anita Ekberg at the Trevi Fountain and the flying statue of Jesus.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/la-dolce-vita-1)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 January 2020. 

Bradshaw regards the film as a brilliant, surreal masterpiece that captures the excitement and melancholy of postwar Rome. He especially praises Fellini’s dreamlike imagery and the ending’s sudden shift from night to morning.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/03/la-dolce-vita-review-federico-fellini-marcello-mastroianni)

## Empire — David Parkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Parkinson praises the film as a masterpiece that has aged remarkably well. He especially singles out Fellini’s sharp satire of celebrity culture and the paparazzi.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/la-dolce-vita-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 1992. 

Thomas calls the film an arguably great, enduring work whose portrait of celebrity culture has grown more familiar over time. He especially praises its haunting Nino Rota score, ravishing black-and-white cinematography, and memorable episodes.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-10-ca-47-story.html)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1959. 

The review suggests the film’s length may test some viewers, but others will be absorbed throughout. It praises the uniformly strong performances, especially Marcello Mastroianni and Yvonne Furneaux, along with the cinematography and score.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1959/film/reviews/la-dolce-vita-1200419682/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page content was blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be verified. No specific praise or complaint is available from the page text.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-la-dolce-vita-1960)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2006. 

The critic finds the film too long and scattered, but ultimately regards Fellini’s attack on celebrity and social decay as a triumph. Mastroianni’s performance is singled out as a major strength.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/la-dolce-vita-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/la-dolce-vita.md