---
title: "Mickey Blue Eyes: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/mickey-blue-eyes/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/mickey-blue-eyes"
critics_score: 65
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."
---

# Mickey Blue Eyes (1999): what the critics said

Critics' score 65 from 8 reviews: 3 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews lean towards qualified enjoyment, with most critics finding enough laughs to forgive the lightweight material. Praise centres on Hugh Grant’s awkward Englishman drawn into Mafia life, particularly his attempts to copy mobster mannerisms and his fish-out-of-water comic set pieces. The familiar gangster conventions provide useful comic material, while James Caan and the supporting mobster actors also earn approval for making the predicament entertaining.

Reservations concern uneven jokes and how much the film depends on Grant: Total Film finds the pacing slack and the other characters underdeveloped. Jeanne Tripplehorn divides opinion, with The Guardian finding her less effective, while Eye for Film praises her chemistry with Grant. The spread runs from warm approval to mild disappointment rather than outright rejection; Eye for Film offers the strongest reservations, finding occasional hilarity but less sophistication than it wants from the situation comedy.

## Empire — Darren Bignell

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic finds the film adept, well-played rom-com nonsense that deserves to set a standard for the genre. They single out Hugh Grant’s comic set pieces and praise James Caan and Jeanne Tripplehorn for making the family predicament engaging.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mickey-blue-eyes-review/)

## The Guardian — Andrew Pulver

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 1999. 

Pulver finds the comedy lightweight but thoroughly entertaining, and sees it as a welcome return to form for Hugh Grant. He praises Grant’s comic attempts to imitate Mafia mannerisms, while noting that the jokes do not always work and Jeanne Tripplehorn is less effective.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,75027,00.html)

## Variety — Lael Loewenstein

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 August 1999. 

The critic finds the film engaging and often very funny, with Hugh Grant especially well suited to the role. They also praise its comic use of familiar Mafia-movie conventions.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/mickey-blue-eyes-1200458729/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 20 August 1999. 

The page is inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be confirmed. No praise or complaint from the review can be verified.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/20/movies/film-review-this-refined-briton-to-wed-a-mafia-doll-goes-to-a-trattoria.html)

## Time Out — NB

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The accessible metadata provides no critical verdict. It describes Grant’s reluctant Englishman caught between his auction-house life and the Mafia, but offers no evaluative praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mickey-blue-eyes)

## Radio Times — Lorien Haynes

Rating 3/5. 

The review calls the comedy gently entertaining and a sure-fire crowd pleaser. It singles out Hugh Grant’s sublimely ridiculous performance as an Englishman drawn into the Mob.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-mw1wh9/mickey-blue-eyes/)

## Total Film — Total Film

Rating 3/5. 20 August 1999. 

The review finds the comedy uneven and Grant-centered, with enough laughs to make it worth checking out. It praises Grant’s fish-out-of-water performance and the supporting mobster actors, but complains that the pacing drags and other characters are underdeveloped.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/mickey-blue-eyes-review/)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. 

The critic finds the film entertaining but ultimately disappointing, with its comedy falling short of sophisticated situation comedy. He praises the chemistry between Grant and Tripplehorn and Caan’s performance, while noting occasional hilarity.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mickey-blue-eyes-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/mickey-blue-eyes.md