---
title: "Philomena: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/philomena/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/philomena"
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 24
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."
---

# Philomena (2013): what the critics said

Critics' score 76 from 24 reviews: 20 positive, 3 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to Philomena, with praise concentrated on Judi Dench’s quiet dignity and her comic rapport with Steve Coogan. The reviews credit Stephen Frears with balancing humour, sadness and anger at institutional cruelty, making a potentially sentimental story moving without letting it become simplistic. Many also find more complexity than expected in the film’s treatment of faith and forgiveness, with the central relationship giving those questions a human scale.

Reservations centre on forced early contrasts, caricature and storytelling that sometimes makes its points too plainly. The spread runs from enthusiastic approval to outright rejection, though even the harshest review praises the leads’ chemistry. Slant Magazine finds the treatment of Philomena’s naïveté patronising, while The Wrap objects to what it sees as smug condescension towards atheists: a sharper objection to the film’s moral stance than most critics share.

## The Independent — Geoffrey MacNab

Rating ★★★★★. 3 September 2013. Festival review. 

Stephen Frears's film is a funny, well-observed tearjerker featuring a wonderful performance from Judi Dench and a very good understated one from Steve Coogan. Frears gets the tone just right on this material that could easily have seemed schmaltzy, making it hard for even jaded audiences not to be moved.

[Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/venice-film-festival-2013-philomena-judi-dench-and-steve-coogan-make-a-compelling-double-act-8793018.html)

## Empire — Damon Wise

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2013. 

The film is a terrific, sophisticated comedy that tackles serious issues with a lightness of touch and a spirit of steel. It filters the harrowing true story through an initially uninterested journalist, blending comedy and profound anger about Magdalene homes and adoption scandals while leaving audiences smiling.

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

## Evening Standard

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2014. 

Steve Coogan has made his best serious film so far with this astutely directed odd-couple road-trip story. Judi Dench gives what could be her best-ever film work, conveying Philomena's simplicity and faith without sentimentality while the film balances jokes, anger and sadness effectively.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/philomena-film-review-8916915.html)

## RogerEbert.com — Susan Wloszczyna

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2013. 

The film confounds expectations as a multi-faceted odd-couple road trip and mystery rather than a simple sob story. Dench delivers a complex, dignified portrait of quiet strength and empathy that commands the proceedings.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/philomena-2013)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2013. Festival review. 

The review calls the Venice premiere a real delight that is funny, moving and beautifully performed, directed with restraint and a delicate touch. It highlights the strong work from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan and predicts audience and awards appeal.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/philomena/5059812.article)

## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael

Rating 4/5. 

The critic praises Judi Dench’s sparkling performance and the effective odd-couple dynamic with Steve Coogan that generates both comedy and tragedy. Stephen Frears is credited with bringing home the story’s emotional core, though the American journey could have had more sweep.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-sazpt7/philomena/)

## The Hollywood Reporter

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2013. Festival review. 

Stephen Frears returns to top form in a touching, witty true story of a mother's search for closure after being forced to give up her son. The inspired pairing of Judi Dench and Steve Coogan anchors the heartwarming but never banal drama.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/philomena-venice-review-618825/)

## Time Out — Dave Calhoun

Rating 4/5. 30 August 2013. Festival review. 

The review finds it a terrifically moving film with an earthbound feel, sharp wit and anger at institutional wrongs, anchored by strong turns from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. It notes some early contrasts feel forced but praises the complicated truth of the central relationship and its take on religion.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/philomena)

## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Rating B. 21 November 2013. 

The film is essentially about reconciling faith with an organized religion’s misdeeds, anchored by two well-rounded, funny lead performances from Dench and Coogan. It stumbles with heavy-handed flashbacks and a script better at handling the protagonist’s values than the nuns’ hypocrisy.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/philomena-comically-pairs-steve-coogan-and-judi-dench-1798178761)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2013. 

Dench elevates the unapologetic crowd-pleaser with instinctive dignity, making Philomena both average and extraordinary. The film gains confidence in its dramatic narrative despite an unsteady comedic start and some on-the-nose storytelling.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-nov-21-la-et-mn-philomena-20131122-story.html)

## The Guardian — Xan Brooks

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2013. 

The film succeeds as an odd-couple road trip thanks to the terrific chemistry between Steve Coogan and Judi Dench. It balances compassion and unpredictability without preaching.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/03/philomena-review-steve-coogan-judi-dench)

## The New York Times — Stephen Holden

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2013. 

Dench’s quietly moving performance as a faithful woman seeking her son provides a solid moral center amid the film’s blend of comedy, detective story, and critique of the church. The screenplay stabilizes a potentially mawkish tale into something sophisticated about faith and forgiveness.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/22/movies/philomena-starring-judi-dench-and-steve-coogan.html)

## Variety

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2013. Festival review. 

The film is a smug but effective middlebrow crowdpleaser that wraps anti-clerical outrage in amusing banter and good taste, mining the material for laughs, anger, and tears. It is Frears’ most compulsively watchable picture since “The Queen,” with strong awards potential for Dench.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2013/film/global/philomena-review-venice-toronto-1200594214/)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2013. 

The movie is overcalculating and occasionally coarse, but it has a gentle spirit and avoids becoming an anti-Catholic harangue thanks to Frears’ tender touch. Judi Dench de-banalizes the over-tidy script with a soft, guileless performance that reveals the character’s stubborn romanticism.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2013/11/movie-review-philomena-judi-dench-steve-coogan.html)

## Little White Lies — David Jenkins

Rating 2/3/4. 1 November 2013. 

The critic calls it a big return-to-form for Frears, evolving from an odd-couple buddy comedy into a sophisticated exploration of faith, compassion and the consolations of religion. Praise goes to the delicate performances by Steve Coogan and Judi Dench, though the opening leans too heavily on caricature.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/philomena)

## Slant Magazine — Jesse Cataldo

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2013. 

The film is torn between the writers’ impulse to distance themselves from sentimentality and the director’s heavy-handed bathetic flourishes, resulting in a fractious movie. It handles questions of forgiveness and faith with reasonable proficiency but leans on Philomena’s naïveté in a patronizing way.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/philomena/)

## Eye for Film — David Graham

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2013. 

The critic praises the film's unexpected depth and richness beyond a typical crowd-pleaser, anchored by standout performances from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan under Stephen Frears' direction. They single out the efficient, brisk storytelling and emotional resonance that moves even the most cynical viewers.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/philomena-2013-film-review-by-david-graham)

## Collider — Adam Chitwood

Rating B+. 8 September 2013. Festival review. 

The film crafts a sweet, thoughtful story of guilt, redemption, and friendship buoyed by strong performances from Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. It is charming and sincere despite some predictable elements, marking one of Frears' best films in years.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/philomena-review/)

## Den of Geek — Don Kaye

Rating 4/5. 20 December 2013. 

The critic praises the moving true story and the charming performances of Steve Coogan and Judi Dench, highlighting their chemistry and the film's blend of humor and emotional depth in exploring themes of forgiveness and institutional cruelty. Minor stumbles noted but overall moving and unsettling.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/philomena-review/)

## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2013. Festival review. 

The critic describes it as a warm-hearted crowd-pleaser with strong performances from Dench and Coogan, blending comedy and serious issues about the Catholic Church, noting Frears' best film in years.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/bfi-london-film-festival/a519448/philomena-review-bfi-london-film-festival-2013/)

## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2013. Festival review. 

The critic calls it Oscar bait done right, a crowd-pleasing comedy-drama with strong performances that marks a return to form for Frears, while noting some minor flaws in supporting elements like the score. They highlight the film's deceptively complex take on its characters and themes.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/venice-review-stephen-frears-philomena-starring-judi-dench-steve-coogan-20130831/)

## Paste — Christine N. Ziemba

Rating 8.3. 18 November 2013. 

Dench and Coogan create a believable rapport as their characters grow through their shared experience. The steady direction by Frears and snappy dialogue keep the film grounded while raising questions about faith and family.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/philomena)

## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh

Rating 3/5. 31 August 2013. Festival review. 

The review commends the solid storytelling, strong cast including a perfectly cast Judi Dench, and the blend of humor with serious themes in a well-told true story. It notes the enthusiastic festival audience response to the film's heartfelt and entertaining qualities.

[Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/philomena-review/)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2013. 

The critic faults the film for its smug condescension toward atheists and its insistence on portraying Philomena's forgiving worldview as superior to the journalist's cynicism. The standout element is the strong chemistry between Judi Dench and Steve Coogan as the odd-couple leads.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/philomena-review-dench-coogan-bring-much-needed-brimstone-cinematic-treacle/)

---
© 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/philomena.md