--- title: "The Girl on the Train: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-girl-on-the-train/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-girl-on-the-train" critics_score: 46 critics_reviews: 28 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 Girl on the Train (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 46 from 28 reviews: 2 positive, 15 mixed, 11 negative. Most critics find The Girl on the Train a disappointment, and the reviews lean mixed to negative rather than hostile. Where they agree is on Emily Blunt. Nearly every notice, including the pans, says her performance as Rachel, a fractured alcoholic, is the one thing worth watching, and several credit her with holding the film together. Danny Elfman’s unusual score gets a second, smaller round of praise. The reservations cluster on the storytelling: a mystery several critics guess early, clumsy shifts between the women’s perspectives, and a plot that grows less convincing as it goes. Critics split on the adaptation itself, some finding it too faithful to the novel, others saying it throws away the book’s sharper ideas. The spread is wide, from Digital Spy’s warm notice to outright pans from Vulture, The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times. Empire is the lone dissenter on Blunt, calling her casting unconvincing. ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2016. The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is behind the paywall. The available text does not reveal what the critic praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-girl-on-the-train-review/5109956.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint can be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/movies/the-girl-on-the-train-review-emily-blunt.html) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating C+. 6 October 2016. Vishnevetsky finds the film a campy, plot-hole-riddled attempt to emulate Gone Girl that falls short. He praises Emily Blunt’s committed performance but says the polished direction and confused handling of perspective undermine the story. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-campy-girl-on-the-train-can-t-catch-up-to-gone-girl-1798188995) ## Radio Times — Stella Papamichael Rating 3/5. The critic calls it a neat but overly tidy domestic thriller that adds few surprises. Emily Blunt’s casting as Rachel is singled out as its most compelling deviation from the novel. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6oerv0/the-girl-on-the-train/) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Rating 3/5. 9 October 2016. Kermode finds the film worthwhile despite its shortcomings, largely because Emily Blunt holds it together. He particularly praises her mesmerising, convincing portrayal of a fractured, alcoholic heroine. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/09/the-girl-on-the-train-review-emily-blunt-paula-hawkins) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★. 6 October 2016. Turner calls it a serviceable, faithful adaptation that ultimately amplifies the novel’s problems. He praises Emily Blunt and Haley Bennett’s performances, while faulting the easily guessed mystery and inconsistent plotting. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/girl-train-film-review-24427) ## Time Out — Cath Clarke Rating 3/5. 2 October 2016. The critic calls it a solid thriller. The review singles out its transformation of the bestselling novel into a film, though the adaptation has drawn criticism from fans of the book. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-girl-on-the-train-2) ## Total Film — James Mottram Rating 3/5. 3 October 2016. The review finds that the film is too slavishly faithful to the novel and never becomes a cinematic equivalent. Emily Blunt’s convincing, sympathetic performance is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-girl-on-the-train-review/) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2016. Gleiberman finds the thriller only so-so, though its lurid psychodrama and craft make it engaging before it falters. He particularly praises Emily Blunt’s tender, luminous performance, while criticizing the film’s increasingly unconvincing plot and campy climax. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/the-girl-on-the-train-review-emily-blunt-1201872781/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating D+. 3 October 2016. Ehrlich pans the adaptation as a flavorless, toothless thriller that discards the novel’s sharper ideas. He praises Emily Blunt’s vivid, emotionally charged performance as Rachel. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-girl-on-the-train-review-movie-emily-blunt-justin-theroux-1201732517/) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray Rating 1.5/4. 5 October 2016. Gray finds the film a joyless, plodding thriller that mishandles its complex narrative and female characters. He singles out the joke about the men’s affair-related passwords as the film’s lone shred of wit. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-girl-on-the-train-2016/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2016. Sexton finds the film weak overall, criticizing its casting and reliance on cheap tricks. He singles out Emily Blunt’s unvarnished performance as its greatest strength. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-girl-on-the-train-film-review-and-you-thought-your-commute-was-bad-a3363386.html) ## Empire — Jonathan Pile Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2016. Pile finds the film’s mystery unengaging and its twists ineffective. He praises the honest treatment of alcoholism but faults Emily Blunt’s casting as unconvincing. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/girl-train-2-review/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2016. McCarthy finds the thriller dreary, one-dimensional, and ultimately unsurprising. He singles out Danny Elfman’s unusual score as the film’s standout, saying it nearly makes the film seem good. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/girl-train-review-934350/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2016. Chang finds the film an incoherent, inept potboiler that fails to turn its mystery into suspense. He praises Emily Blunt’s committed performance, which has affecting moments despite the film’s flaws. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-girl-train-review-20160930-snap-story.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2016. Lane pans the film as dour, muddled, and dramatically unconvincing. He particularly objects to its treatment of alcoholism as a plot device rather than a serious theme. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/17/the-girl-on-the-train-and-under-the-shadow) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2016. Edelstein pans the film as a badly told thriller that fails to create suspense. He praises Emily Blunt’s performance but faults the close camera work and clumsy shifts between perspectives. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/movie-review-the-girl-on-the-train.html) ## Digital Spy — Rosie Fletcher Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2016. The critic finds the film a successful, engaging thriller with timely themes. She especially praises Emily Blunt’s performance and the film’s depiction of Rachel’s drunken spells. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a809680/the-girl-on-the-train-review/) ## Collider — Perri Nemiroff Rating B-. 6 October 2016. Nemiroff finds the film entertaining but weighed down by melodrama and loose ends. She praises Emily Blunt’s committed performance, which keeps viewers invested despite the film’s flaws. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-girl-on-the-train-review-emily-blunt/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 2016. Hammond finds the film effective on its own terms, though it wallows too much in sleaze and its male characters feel one-dimensional. He especially praises Emily Blunt’s luminous performance, along with the editing and eerie score. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/10/the-girl-on-the-train-review-emily-blunt-tate-taylor-video-1201830759/) ## /Film — Jack Giroux Rating 6.5/10. 11 October 2016. Giroux calls the film a decent, sometimes-above-average adaptation that is carried by its performances. He especially praises Emily Blunt for grounding the thriller with a sorrowful, compelling portrayal of Rachel. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/547038/the-girl-on-the-train-spoiler-review/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the thriller worth watching despite a disappointing final act. It particularly praises Emily Blunt’s nuanced, empathetic performance as Rachel. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-girl-on-the-train-review/) ## Den of Geek — Chloe Catchpole Rating 3/5. 5 October 2016. Catchpole finds the film ultimately delivers despite a superficial narrative and a stumble in its second act. She praises Emily Blunt’s brutally authentic performance and singles out Danny Elfman’s score as a highlight. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-girl-on-the-train-review-2/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 6.0/10. 9 October 2016. Crump finds the film frustratingly safe and predictable despite flashes of lurid potential. He praises Emily Blunt’s performance, while criticizing the underwritten supporting women and the delayed turn to camp. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-girl-on-the-train/the-girl-on-the-train) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2016. The review is mixed, finding the film’s focus on Rachel compelling but its supporting characters underdeveloped. It singles out Emily Blunt’s performance as giving the film a centre and purpose. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-girl-on-the-train-2016-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## Consequence — Allison Shoemaker Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2016. The critic finds the adaptation deeply disappointing, despite its earnest intentions and strong lead performance. Emily Blunt is singled out for a dynamic, emotionally raw portrayal that rises above the film’s contrivances. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/10/film-review-the-girl-on-the-train/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2016. The review appears negative, describing the film as joyless. It suggests the film would have benefited from going further off the rails. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/joyless-girl-train-couldve-benefitted-going-off-rails-little-review-20161006/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2016. The critic finds the adaptation incoherent and suspense-free, with flat direction and a strained narrative. Emily Blunt’s performance is the one element praised for giving viewers a compelling character to hold onto. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-girl-on-the-train-review-emily-blunt/) --- © 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-girl-on-the-train.md