---
title: "Steel Magnolias: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/steel-magnolias/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/steel-magnolias"
critics_score: 54
critics_reviews: 9
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."
---

# Steel Magnolias (1989): what the critics said

Critics' score 54 from 9 reviews: 2 positive, 4 mixed, 3 negative.

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 4/5. 

Parkinson praises the film as an engaging showcase for its leading actresses. He singles out Shirley MacLaine as stealing the show with a wonderful performance.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7oxiip/steel-magnolias/)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1988. 

The review is warmly positive about the film and its ensemble cast. It singles out Olympia Dukakis for nearly stealing the picture and praises Sally Field’s understated performance.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1988/film/reviews/steel-magnolias-2-1200427825/)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page is blocked by a browser check, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint can be verified from the available page text.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/steel-magnolias-1989)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 1989. 

The accessible page does not expose the review’s verdict. It provides no praise or complaint to summarize.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/15/movies/review-film-magnolias-of-the-stage-writ-large-for-screen.html)

## Time Out — SFe

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

The page identifies this as a review, but the review text is unavailable. Its verdict and any specific praise or complaint therefore cannot be established.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/steel-magnolias)

## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson

Rating 3/5. 11 September 2012. 

Henderson finds the film’s emotional shifts awkward but says the actresses’ camaraderie keeps it afloat. He especially praises Shirley MacLaine’s witty, well-rounded performance as Ouiser.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/steel-magnolias/)

## Empire — Angie Errigo

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

Errigo finds the film less persuasive than its stage source, though it retains humour and pathos. She singles out Sally Field’s performance as sensational, while criticizing Julia Roberts’s portrayal and the film’s weakened emotional force.

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

## IndieWire — Matt Brennan

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2013. 

Brennan finds the 1989 film melodramatic and politically dated, though its cast achieves some chemistry. He singles out Clairee and Ouiser’s sharp exchanges as a bright spot amid the film’s syrupy portrait of women.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/now-and-then-in-two-steel-magnolias-the-times-are-not-a-changin-197940/)

## Los Angeles Times — PETER RAINER

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 1989. 

Rainer finds the film’s exaggerated performances and sentimentality overwhelm its intended emotional impact. He praises Dolly Parton’s sweet, lilting presence, while criticizing Shirley MacLaine’s scenery-gobbling performance.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-11-15-ca-1801-story.html)

---
© 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/steel-magnolias.md