--- title: "Topsy-Turvy: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/topsy-turvy/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/topsy-turvy" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 12 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." --- # Topsy-Turvy (1999): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 12 reviews: 12 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unanimous in their approval of Mike Leigh’s first period film, and the praise falls in the same places. Most critics admire the recreation of the Victorian theatre, the rehearsal scenes especially, and the patience with which the film follows The Mikado from first draft to first night. Jim Broadbent’s Gilbert and Allan Corduner’s Sullivan are named again and again. Nearly everyone remarks that a director known for contemporary work has moved into costume drama without losing his interest in people at work. The spread is narrow; nobody dislikes it. Such reservations as exist concern length. Variety finds the film loses dramatic focus in historical detail, and the Los Angeles Times notes digressions before judging the whole rewarding. Sight and Sound is the coolest voice, drawn less to the pageantry than to the social observation underneath it. Eye for Film widens the praise past the two leads to Timothy Spall, a rare naming of the supporting cast. ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic praises Mike Leigh's study of Gilbert and Sullivan as a hilarious, tender, intimately detailed and passionately humane panoply of life that turns the musical biopic on its head. It singles out the magnificent central performance by Jim Broadbent and the ensemble's vivid vignettes of theatrical life for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/topsy-turvy-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 January 2000. Mike Leigh's film is a gloriously entertaining love letter to the theater, detailing the genesis, preparation, and presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado with meticulous attention to rehearsal, production details, and personality conflicts. It praises the lead performances by Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner and the blend of whimsical absurdity with rigorous theatrical discipline. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/topsy-turvy-2000) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 December 1999. Mike Leigh's Topsy-Turvy revisits the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership with excited admiration and intelligence, becoming an extraordinary portrait of artistic creation and the discipline of the imperial age. It singles out the authentic period details, lighting, and musical performances as particularly moving and triumphant. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/12/27/under-the-lights) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 1999. Festival review. Mike Leigh's grandly entertaining Topsy-Turvy mixes erudition, pageantry, and strong acting opportunities in its look at Gilbert and Sullivan's partnership and the creation of The Mikado. It highlights the film's robust, knowing, and frequently hilarious exploration of artistic renewal through meticulous period detail and performances. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/02/movies/film-festival-review-with-gilbert-and-sullivan-dreaming-up-a-second-act.html) ## Time Out — TJ Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 April 2015. Leigh's first period film is a radical but familiar departure that immerses viewers in the pressurised lives of its characters, contrasting public polish with private cost. The critic singles out the peerless cast and droll celebration of the entertainer's lot as making it a British cinema treasure. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/topsy-turvy) ## Slant Magazine — John Lingan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 March 2011. Leigh moves away from his typical intimate character focus toward a wider ensemble story of Gilbert and Sullivan creating The Mikado. The result is one of his most enjoyable and technically accomplished films, with rich period detail and performances that bring the theatrical world to life. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/topsy-turvy/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 2011. The review calls the film one of Leigh's best and most revealing, praising its focus on the collaborative creative process behind The Mikado and the meticulous attention to historical detail and character. It highlights strong performances by Broadbent and Corduner and Leigh's ability to make the work itself the central revelation. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/topsy-turvy-the-mikado-1798167889) ## The Guardian — Derek Malcolm Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 1999. Festival review. The critic praises Mike Leigh's ambitious musical epic for its excellent design, superb performances, and authentic portrayal of the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership and Victorian theater world. He highlights the accurate rehearsal scenes and the film's ironic yet tender depiction of the era. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/sep/06/mikeleigh) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 December 1999. The critic views the film as a stylish inquiry into the creative process of Gilbert and Sullivan, praising its authentic period production values and the deep, convincing performances by Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner. He notes some length and digressions but finds the overall effect rewarding and heartfelt. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-dec-15-ca-44004-story.html) ## Sight and Sound Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). The critic notes the film's departure from Leigh's usual contemporary style into lavish period territory but affirms it remains very much a Mike Leigh film. They single out the judicious balance of heartbreak and farce alongside sharp social observations beneath the theatrical excess. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/565) ## Variety — Deborah Young Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 1999. Festival review. Mike Leigh's first period film offers an exhaustive, affectionate look at Gilbert and Sullivan's partnership and the making of The Mikado, with strong acting, wit, and lavish musical numbers, though it sometimes loses dramatic focus in historical detail. It praises the cast, especially Jim Broadbent and Allan Corduner, and the craftsmanship in evoking the Victorian theater world. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/topsy-turvy-1117752084/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. Leigh respects the human endeavour and foot soldiers of the theatre in this loose biopic of Gilbert and Sullivan. The critic singles out the nuanced performances, particularly Jim Broadbent as the perfectionist Gilbert and Timothy Spall as the camp veteran actor, for praise. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/topsy-turvy-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © 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/topsy-turvy.md