---
title: "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris"
critics_score: 74
critics_reviews: 18
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."
---

# Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022): what the critics said

Critics' score 74 from 18 reviews: 14 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics welcome Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris as a warm, good-natured fantasy, with praise centred on Lesley Manville’s performance. The reviews repeatedly credit her grounded, humane portrayal with making the wish-fulfilment story engaging, while Jenny Beavan’s costumes and the Dior fashion sequences provide another consistent source of pleasure. Several critics also find an attention to class beneath the sweetness, though the dominant appeal is uncomplicated escapism.

Reservations cluster around convenient plotting, familiar characters and a lightness that some find forgettable. Even favourable reviews note uneven pacing, dialogue or tone, but generally accept these weaknesses as tolerable within the fairy tale. The spread is wide, though strongly weighted towards approval: Sight and Sound offers the clearest dissent, finding the film twee and insubstantial despite admiring the costumes. The main disagreement is over how much substance the charm supplies, rather than whether the clothes are worth admiring.

## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2022. 

Rooney finds the film enchanting, praising its light-touch direction and fairy-tale warmth. He singles out Lesley Manville’s radiant, humane performance as the film’s heart.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-1235175424/)

## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2022. 

Walsh finds the film fantastical, predictable and utterly delightful, offering welcome escapism. She singles out Lesley Manville’s charismatic, authentic performance as the film’s essential center.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-07-14/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-review)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Rating 4/5. 28 September 2022. 

The critic finds the film charming, with a welcome edge of socialism. She praises Lesley Manville’s Ada and the sublime costumes, though one dresscoat looks like a poorly assembled tent.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-movie-review-lesley-manville-isabelle-huppert-paul-gallico-b1028808.html)

## Radio Times — James Mottram

Rating 4/5. 

The review presents the film as a charming, fanciful confection. It singles out Lesley Manville’s performance as especially charming.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-yb4mn0/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris/)

## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2022. 

Lee finds the film a charming, sweet-natured escape, though its lightness makes it somewhat fleeting. He especially praises Lesley Manville’s grounded, note-perfect performance and Jenny Beavan’s ravishing costumes.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/14/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-lesley-manville-review)

## Empire — Olly Richards

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 27 September 2022. 

Richards finds the film a charming, uncynical pleasure, though its world and characters are deliberately simplistic. He especially praises Lesley Manville’s performance, which anchors the film’s cheerful story.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris/)

## The i Paper — Christina Newland

Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2022. 

Newland finds the film frothy, good-natured and effective despite its candy-floss clichés. She praises Anthony Fabian’s affectionate, empathetic treatment of the characters and the detail of Mrs Harris’s fashion obsession.

[Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-film-review-lesley-manville-cinderella-story-1885901)

## The AV Club — Leigh Monson

Rating B. 11 July 2022. 

The AV Club finds the film mildly entertaining and charming, though its pacing and dialogue are uneven. It singles out Lesley Manville’s nuanced, effervescent performance for elevating the material.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-review-lesley-manville-dior-1849144948)

## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2022. 

The review presents the film as an endearing, warmly appealing adaptation. It singles out Lesley Manville’s charm as its strongest asset.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-review/5171774.article)

## IndieWire — Jude Dry

Rating B-. 14 July 2022. 

Dry calls the film a charming, frivolous fantasy that offers enjoyable escapism but is unlikely to leave a lasting impression. She praises Lesley Manville’s charisma, while criticizing the screenplay for overreaching for meaning.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-review-lesley-manville-1234741911/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2022. 

The URL identifies this as a review of the 2022 film, but the article text is unavailable. The critic’s verdict and any singled-out praise or complaint cannot be established.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/14/movies/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-review.html)

## Time Out — Cyrus Cohen

Rating 3/5. 13 July 2022. 

Cohen finds the film a tidy, likeable celebration of kindness and couture. He singles out Lesley Manville’s performance as its chief strength.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-2022)

## Variety — Peter Debruge

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2022. 

Debruge finds the film charming but lightweight, with overly convenient plotting and an unsatisfying finale. He praises Lesley Manville for making Mrs. Harris’s kindness and good humor delightful to watch.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-review-1235313190/)

## Sight and Sound — BFI

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 2022. 

The review finds the film initially engaging but ultimately twee and insubstantial. It praises Jenny Beavan’s costume design, while criticizing the cloying performances and too many convenient plot turns.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/mrs-harris-goes-paris-daft-starry-eyed-reverie)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 July 2022. 

The critic calls the film an unusually sweet, satisfying fairy tale that earns its feel-good resolution. They especially praise Lesley Manville’s grounded performance and the shimmering, lovingly crafted Dior dresses.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-film-review-charm-and-good-humor-fit-perfectly-in-this-chic-fairy-tale/)

## Collider — Ross Bonaime

Rating B+. 15 July 2022. 

Bonaime calls the film a quiet delight, full of optimism, beauty, and charm. He singles out Lesley Manville’s infectious performance and the gorgeous costumes, while noting that one supporting romance is less compelling.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-review-lesley-manville/)

## Paste — Aurora Amidon

Rating 7.8/10. 14 July 2022. 

Amidon finds the film uplifting, funny, and elegantly made, though its tonal balance sometimes falters. She especially praises Lesley Manville’s nuanced performance and the visually dazzling Dior fashion show.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/isabelle-huppert/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-review)

## Eye for Film — Jennie Kermode

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2023. 

Kermode finds the film a confident, stylish wish-fulfilment fantasy with substance beneath its sweetness. She especially praises Lesley Manville’s performance and the film’s understated class consciousness.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris-2022-film-review-by-jennie-kermode)

---
© 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/mrs-harris-goes-to-paris.md