--- title: "The Good Boss: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-good-boss/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-good-boss" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 17 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 Good Boss (2021): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 17 reviews: 8 positive, 9 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics enjoy The Good Boss, and nearly all of them agree on why: Javier Bardem. Almost every review singles out his performance as the provincial factory owner who mistakes himself for a benevolent patriarch, and the praise clusters on how he moves from charm to ruthlessness without appearing to change gear. The satire on corporate corruption and image management is found amusing, slick and easy to sit through. The reservations are about everything around him. Several reviews call the satire obvious, the metaphors overworked and the running time too long, and a few say the film has little to offer once the star is set aside. The spread is narrow: eight reviews are positive, nine mixed, none negative. Collider is the outlier, rating it well above the rest, while The Times dissents the other way, finding the boss too bland to matter. ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 June 2022. Bardem excels as the slick but amoral factory boss whose unethical practices unravel amid a bid for a business award. The film is praised as a character-driven satire on hypocrisy, corruption and image management in contemporary Spain. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/good-boss-perfectly-weighted-comedy) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2022. The critic praises the film's allegory of corporate equilibrium maintained through duplicity and Bardem's measured, authoritative performance as the charming yet ruthless boss. It sneaks up as a sharp satire on an entire civilization's complicity. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-good-boss-el-buen-patron-with-javier-bardem.html) ## Slant Magazine — Pat Brown Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2022. Bardem creates a complex portrait of a randy, imperious CEO in this droll satire; the film suggests there may not be much daylight between a good boss and a true villain. The obviousness of the premise works because the absurdity is the point. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-good-boss-review-javier-bardem/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 July 2022. The star delivers a masterclass in reptilian charm as the unscrupulous head of a provincial firm, but Fernando León de Aranoa’s tragicomedy can feel heavy-handed. An impressively slick and slimy performance from Javier Bardem is the standout selling point for this serviceable if workaday satire on corporate corruption. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/17/the-good-boss-review-javier-bardem-bosses-it-in-unsubtle-spanish-satire) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 24 September 2021. Festival review. The critic finds the corporate satire amusing but too long, languidly paced and lacking sharpness, with Bardem's magnetic, riveting performance as the blandly evil boss providing the main reason to watch. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/the-good-boss-review-1235071329/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 4/3/2. 15 July 2022. Bardem delivers a committed lead performance in this light workplace comedy about a seemingly benevolent scales factory owner whose abuses of power catch up with him. The film is seen as undemanding and ultimately unmemorable fluff. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-good-boss) ## Los Angeles Times — Geoff Berkshire Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2022. Bardem's mischievous turn anchors the slick social satire about a not-so-good boss obsessed with awards, but the film offers little substance beyond its star and obvious metaphors. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-08-27/good-boss-review-javier-bardem) ## Radio Times — Kevin Harley Rating 3/5. Bardem personifies corporate corruption as the patrician boss of an industrial scales firm whose fling with an intern threatens his pursuit of a business excellence award. The satire is slight, with overworked metaphors and uneven pacing, but Bardem nails the character's amorality. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-u3gixd/the-good-boss/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2021. Festival review. Bardem dominates this slick comic morality tale about a provincial Spanish factory owner whose dysfunctional 'family' business unravels during a bid for an excellence award. The film is entertaining but feels comfortable and déjà vu, with a strong final scene hinting at greater depth. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-good-boss-san-sebastian-review/5163443.article) ## IndieWire — Christian Blauvelt Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2022. A towering performance from Bardem anchors the film, which otherwise lacks a strong point of view. The satire on capitalism and the boss's smarmy charm are highlighted but not fully developed. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-good-boss-review-javier-bardem-1234754898/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Jordan Mintzer Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2021. Festival review. The critic finds it slickly entertaining but notes that the jokes tend to be too broad and the themes too tritely handled. Bardem delivers a strong turn in this dark workplace dramedy about a factory boss maintaining power through manipulation. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-good-boss-el-buen-patron-san-sebastian-2021-1235017582/) ## The New York Times — Ben Kenigsberg Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 25 August 2022. Bardem delivers prime material in a dark comedy about a manipulative boss using underhanded tactics for a business award, but the satire is deemed facile and not especially incisive. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/25/movies/the-good-boss-review-company-man.html) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★☆☆. 15 July 2022. There are seeds of greatness in this Spanish workplace satire, but the boss character is too bland to matter and dilutes the impact. The result is a perfectly acceptable wry-smile movie, nothing more. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-good-boss-review-javier-bardem-crumbles-in-a-so-so-spanish-satire-lbwfhgx9h) ## Collider — Chase Hutchinson Rating A-. 24 August 2022. The critic praises the film as a sly satire showcasing Javier Bardem's chilling performance as a manipulative, cruel factory owner who maintains a facade of benevolence. They single out Bardem's ability to shift from charming to ruthless as the standout element that elevates the entire movie. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-good-boss-review-javier-bardem/) ## Deadline — Stephanie Bunbury Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 September 2021. Festival review. The critic praises Bardem's riveting performance as the charming but manipulative factory owner who believes himself a benevolent patriarch. The film is highlighted for its dark comedy built on dramatic irony and the boss's self-delusion. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2021/09/the-good-boss-review-javier-bardem-san-sebastian-film-festival-1234842072/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 April 2022. Festival review. The critic finds Javier Bardem's central performance elevates the satire above the ordinary, balancing charm with ruthlessness. The film blends mainstream situational comedy with small-town satire but could have embraced its darker elements more fully. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-good-boss-2021-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2022. The review finds the dark comedy effective thanks to Bardem's mesmerizing, underplayed turn as the self-satisfied boss, though it notes the script feels unsubtle and the film runs too long. Bardem's familiar, unsettling portrayal of everyday authority is singled out as the film's main strength. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-good-boss-film-review-javier-bardems/) --- © 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-good-boss.md