--- title: "The Two Popes: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-two-popes/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-two-popes" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 23 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 Two Popes (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 23 reviews: 17 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find The Two Popes an entertaining, thoughtful drama, with praise concentrated on Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce. Their chemistry makes the conversations lively and affecting, and even less enthusiastic reviews find much to admire in the performances. The dialogue also earns broad approval for its wit and warmth, with many critics finding the central relationship compelling enough to carry a film built largely around talk. The reservations concern how much that warmth softens the subject. Several reviews question the treatment of Church scandals, while others find the flashbacks cumbersome or the visual flourishes distracting. The spread runs from enthusiastic approval to a lone strongly negative verdict: Slant Magazine argues that sentimentality comes at the expense of confronting institutional corruption. There is also a direct split over credibility: Sight and Sound finds the drama plausible, while The AV Club considers the imagined conversation unconvincing and the exposition clumsy. ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 November 2019. Freer finds the film funny, engrossing and thoughtful, calling it Meirelles’ most entertaining work in years. He especially praises Hopkins and Pryce, whose performances and chemistry bring the central relationship to life. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-two-popes/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Farber Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2019. Festival review. Farber calls the film a triumph, praising its writing and the lead performances. He particularly singles out Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce for matching each other in subtlety and charisma. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/two-popes-review-1235993/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2019. Festival review. Debruge finds the drama brilliant, emotionally engaging, and thoughtful about the Church’s future. He especially praises the performances of Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce and the film’s deft, spirited dialogue. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/the-two-popes-review-1203321085/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 November 2019. Turan finds the film a lively, crowd-pleasing drama with a serious side. He especially praises Hopkins and Pryce, whose performances make the conversations between the two leaders compelling. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-11-26/two-popes-review-netflix-hopkins-pryce) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Rating 4/5. 29 November 2019. O'Sullivan calls the film an intelligent, moving tragi-comedy and says it is a pleasure to watch. She singles out Jonathan Pryce's superlative performance, alongside the nimble script and zippy visuals. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-two-popes-review-jonathan-pryce-shines-in-intelligent-and-moving-tragi-comedy-a4300841.html) ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 4/5. Collins presents the film as an entertaining two-hander, with both lead performances singled out for praise. He highlights the actors’ barnstorming work in a story built around their conversations. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-cnt66n/the-two-popes/) ## Sight and Sound — Philip Kemp Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 November 2019. Kemp finds the film remarkably plausible, consistently watchable and ultimately riveting, despite occasional cosiness. He especially praises the dialogue and the performances by Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/two-popes-review-opposites-attract-this-brilliantly-acted-tale-papal-succession) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 25 November 2019. The review finds the film entertaining, with its strongest moments coming from the central pairing. It praises Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as a delightful odd-couple duo. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-two-popes) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2019. Willmore finds the film surprisingly compelling, though its talkiness and idealized portrayal of Francis hold it back. She especially praises Anthony Hopkins’s vulnerable performance as Benedict XVI. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/11/movie-review-the-two-popes-starring-anthony-hopkins.html) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating B-. 1 September 2019. Festival review. Kohn finds the film charming and accessible, though its light tone and softened treatment of church scandals limit its depth. He especially praises Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, whose chemistry and performances bring warmth to the story. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-two-popes-review-anthony-hopkins-jonathan-pryce-1202170383/) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 September 2019. Festival review. The available standfirst gives a positive impression of the film. It singles out Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as a formidable team. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-two-popes-toronto-review/5142697.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 26 November 2019. The URL identifies a review of the matching film, but the page content is blocked. The critic’s verdict and any particular praise or complaint cannot be determined from the available text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/26/movies/the-two-popes-review.html) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating C+. 26 November 2019. D’Angelo finds the film unconvincing, calling its imagined conversation between the popes implausible and its exposition clumsy. He praises Hopkins and Pryce for bringing gusto to the dialogue despite their accents. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-two-popes-dreams-up-an-unconvincing-talk-between-th-1840050517) ## Little White Lies — Charles Bramesco Rating 2/3/4. 25 November 2019. Bramesco finds the film intellectually rich but says Meirelles’s visual flourishes distract from its central performances. He praises Hopkins and Pryce for making the characters’ inner lives and contradictions compelling. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-two-popes) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Rating 3/5. 1 December 2019. Ide finds the fact-based drama unexpectedly entertaining, though its flashbacks and faltering pace weaken the second half. She especially praises Jonathan Pryce’s performance for engaging with and embracing the rest of the cast. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/dec/01/the-two-popes-review-anthony-hopkins-jonathan-pryce-netflix) ## Slant Magazine — Pat Brown Rating 1.5/4. 4 December 2019. Brown argues that the film sentimentalizes the relationship between the two popes while sidestepping institutional corruption. The review criticizes its dated, distracting camerawork and its handling of the abuse scandal. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-two-popes-review-anthony-hopkins-jonathan-pryce/) ## Eye for Film — Anne-Katrin Titze Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 12 January 2020. The critic finds the film captivating and warmly engaging, especially when the two central characters talk and respond to one another. She also praises the visual storytelling and performances, while wishing the film had explored young Ratzinger’s past as fully as Bergoglio’s. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-two-popes-2019-film-review-by-anne-katrin-titze) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the film delightful, entertaining, and heartwarming. They especially praise the witty script and the chemistry between Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-two-popes-film-review-fernando-meirelles-anthony-hopkins-jonathan-pryce/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B+. 20 December 2019. Festival review. Goldberg finds the film an engaging, thoughtful character study that humanizes its two popes. He especially praises the performances of Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, while noting the film could explore their differing approaches to the Church more deeply. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-two-popes-review-netflix/) ## Consequence — Robert Daniels Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2019. The critic finds the film well-crafted and entertaining, with a minor missed opportunity in its treatment of Ratzinger’s past. Pryce and Hopkins’ chemistry and performances are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2019/12/film-review-the-two-popes/) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the film an enjoyable, occasionally ponderous drama. It especially praises the chemistry between Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins, and the moments when their characters’ relationship comes alive. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/two-popes-review-netflix-2590134) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The review calls the film impressive and eminently reliable, though not a standout for its director or stars. It praises the lead performances and Meirelles’s direction, especially the poignant sequences revealing Francis’s past. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-two-popes-review/) ## Polygon — Karen Han Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2019. Han finds the film engaging but held back by its reliance on real-life backstory and its glossing over institutional scandals. She especially praises the lively, affecting performances and sparring between Pryce and Hopkins. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2019/12/21/21033465/the-two-popes-review-netflix/) --- © 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-two-popes.md