All seven reviews are positive, with praise clustering around Leigh’s feel for family life and his ability to let comedy coexist with distress. Most critics find emotional depth beneath the characters’ eccentric behaviour, crediting the improvisational method with performances that feel spontaneous and psychologically precise. Time Out singles out Broadbent and Steadman, while other reviews stress the strength of the family relationships. The everyday rhythms and ordinary struggles provide much of the film’s appeal.
The differences are chiefly in enthusiasm and emphasis, rather than any substantial disagreement. The New Yorker offers the most restrained assessment, describing a meandering passage through modest incidents but finding emotional intimacy and unpredictability along the way. The AV Club places particular weight on characters who initially resemble caricatures before revealing deeper troubles. Across the reviews, the loose plotting attracts less concern than admiration for what Leigh discovers within it.