--- title: "The Choral: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-choral/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-choral" critics_score: 53 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." --- # The Choral (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 53 from 11 reviews: 2 positive, 5 mixed, 4 negative. Most critics find The Choral gentle, low-key and pleasant, a wartime drama that aims for comfort rather than force. The praise gathers around Ralph Fiennes as the choir master, whose quiet, commanding performance several reviews single out as the best thing in it, and around the musical scenes, which are heard as the film’s most honest moments. The ensemble and the handsome period production earn warm words even from critics who dislike the whole. The reservations are about the script. Several reviews call it overstuffed, with sketched subplots and romantic strands that go nowhere, and find the tone wobbling between comedy and tragedy. The sharper complaint is that the film is emotionally cautious and sidesteps the horrors it sets up. The spread is wide: the warmest notices, from IndieWire and Eye for Film, sit against outright dismissals from The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter, which calls it closer to a well-appointed television drama than a feature. ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating B-. 6 September 2025. Festival review. Erbland finds the film a light, low-key crowdpleaser whose gentle tone both comforts and occasionally sidesteps its wartime horrors. She praises its affectionate portrayal of people coming together to make music, while noting that its stagey approach and sketched-over storylines limit its impact. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-choral-review-ralph-fiennes-1235149611/) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 68/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2025. Festival review. Lodge finds the film pleasant and diverting, with its strongest moments quietly resisting expectations of cozy wartime comfort. He praises the way Bennett’s writing cuts through the film’s polished nostalgia to reveal war’s emotional and physical damage. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/the-choral-review-ralph-fiennes-1236556557/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 24 December 2025. The review text is inaccessible, so its verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint can be reliably identified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/24/movies/the-choral-review.html) ## Screen Daily — Robert Daniels Fi1m's normalised score 62/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2025. The headline characterizes the film as a gentle wartime drama, but the review’s verdict is inaccessible. The available text singles out its provincial choir master and wartime setting. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-choral-review-ralph-fiennes-is-a-provincial-choir-master-in-gentle-wartime-drama/5208582.article) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 3/5. 7 November 2025. The critic finds the film stirring but low-key. The review highlights its hymn to music’s healing power. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-choral-2025) ## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2025. Festival review. Lee finds the gentle wartime drama pleasant but overstuffed, emotionally cautious and somewhat anticlimactic. He praises Ralph Fiennes’s delicate, commanding performance as the choir master. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/sep/05/the-choral-review-ralph-fiennes) ## Slant Magazine — Ross McIndoe Rating 1.5/4. 15 October 2025. McIndoe finds the film rote and emotionally shallow, an unsuccessful mix of comedy and tragedy. He praises Ralph Fiennes for bringing gravitas to the material, especially in a moving scene counseling a wounded soldier. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-choral-review-ralph-fiennes/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Frank Scheck Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2025. Scheck finds the film overstuffed and tonally uneven, leaving it more like a well-appointed television drama than a compelling feature. He praises Simon Russell Beale’s brief cameo and the ensemble’s performances, handsome period production, and beautiful music. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-choral-review-ralph-fiennes-1236404100/) ## Eye for Film — Paul Risker Fi1m's normalised score 72/100 (inferred from the text). 11 November 2025. Risker finds the film tender and quietly pleasing, balancing its gentle comedy with the horrors of war. He praises the ensemble’s chemistry and the humanity conveyed through intimate, affecting exchanges. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-choral-2025-film-review-by-paul-risker) ## Collider — Therese Lacson Rating 6/10. 7 September 2025. Festival review. Lacson finds the film uneven but worthwhile, with a distinctive perspective on the people left behind during World War I. She praises Ralph Fiennes’s nuanced performance and the musical scenes, while criticizing the weaker subplots and romantic storylines. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-choral-review-ralph-fiennes/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2025. Festival review. The critic finds the film stiff, hollow and emotionally ineffective despite its ambitions. They praise Ralph Fiennes’ performance but say the script and shallow characterization squander his talents. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-choral-review-ralph-fiennes/) --- © 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/the-choral.md