--- title: "Only You: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/only-you/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/only-you" critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 11 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." --- # Only You (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 80 from 11 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics warmly receive Only You as an intimate, emotionally mature romance, with praise clustering around Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor. Their chemistry and precise handling of the relationship’s changing pressures are the clearest points of agreement across the reviews. Harry Wootliff’s direction also earns praise for its closeness to the couple, while the treatment of infertility and IVF is widely valued for showing how that experience strains a relationship without reducing either person to their suffering. The spread is largely positive, with reservations centred on the storytelling rather than the performances. Empire finds some repetition in the middle section, while Little White Lies considers the final act too conventional. Variety likewise sees familiar storytelling, but finds that the leads’ warmth and emotional precision compensate. These are mostly qualifications within favourable assessments, rather than evidence of a substantial split over the film’s merits. ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2019. Kermode gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, praising its clear-eyed, emotionally intimate portrayal of a relationship under strain. He particularly singles out Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor’s flawless performances and Harry Wootliff’s assured direction. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/14/only-you-review-harry-wootliff-laia-costa-josh-oconnor-mark-kermode) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 February 2021. Freer finds the film a passionate, nuanced and moving romance, despite some repetition in its middle section. He especially praises Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor’s magnetic performances and the intimacy of Wootliff’s filmmaking. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/only-you/) ## Sight and Sound — Pamela Hutchinson Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 15 July 2019. Hutchinson finds the film a remarkably mature and exceptionally romantic story about a couple growing together through suffering. She particularly praises the authentic emotional performances and the screenplay’s nuanced portrayal of infertility’s strain on a relationship. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/only-you-review-love-forged-childlessness) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 4/5. 12 July 2019. O'Sullivan praises the film as a lacerating, humorous romance that champions imperfection. She singles out the leads’ witty, charismatic performances and their convincing chemistry. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/only-you-review-an-earthy-romance-that-champions-imperfection-a4188426.html) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/4/3. 11 July 2019. Jenkins finds the romance sensitive and honest, though it falters in its conventional final act. He especially praises Costa and O’Connor’s relaxed, intuitive performances and Wootliff’s close observation of IVF. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/only-you) ## Radio Times — Kevin Harley Rating 4/5. Harley praises the film as an intimate, impeccably performed romantic drama. He singles out Laia Costa and Josh O'Connor for playing the relationship's emotional shifts with heartbreaking precision. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-jwq7mv/only-you/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 4 July 2019. The review calls it a compassionate, complex relationship drama that delivers an emotional impact. It praises the film for bringing the experience of IVF into view. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/only-you-1) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 25 October 2018. Festival review. Lodge finds the film a tender, lovable relationship drama whose familiar storytelling is elevated by its leads. He especially praises the warm, unaffected chemistry and emotionally exact performances of Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/only-you-review-1202993882/) ## Screen Daily — Jonathan Romney Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2018. Festival review. The page identifies this as a review, but the paywall hides the critic’s verdict. The visible text singles out the romance’s gruelling rounds of IVF, without revealing the critic’s assessment of them. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/only-you-london-review/5133742.article) ## Eye for Film — Jane Fae Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 July 2019. Fae finds the film a mature, intelligent and emotionally compelling portrait of a relationship under strain. She praises the script, subtle camerawork and near-flawless performances from Laia Costa and Josh O’Connor. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/only-you-2018-film-review-by-jane-fae) ## The Skinny — Iana Murray Rating ★★★★. 18 February 2019. Festival review. The review says the film begins like a light romantic comedy but develops into something more tender and grown-up. It singles out Wootliff’s shift toward that more mature emotional tone. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/cineskinny?page=4) --- © 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/only-you.md