---
title: "Truly Madly Deeply: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/truly-madly-deeply/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/truly-madly-deeply"
critics_score: 68
critics_reviews: 7
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."
---

# Truly Madly Deeply (1991): what the critics said

Critics' score 68 from 7 reviews: 4 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics respond warmly to this intimate treatment of grief and a lover’s ghostly return, with praise clustering around Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman. Stevenson’s portrayal of bereavement gives the film much of its emotional credibility, while the leads’ performances help Anthony Minghella move between distress and comedy. The favourable reviews also value his dialogue and humane direction, finding wit and emotional honesty in a premise frequently compared with Ghost.

The spread is wide, and the disagreement centres on whether the supernatural humour sustains or weakens the treatment of loss. Empire admires the performances but finds that the ghosts undermine the seriousness. Time Out considers the bereavement metaphor overstretched and the tone cloying, despite the actors’ efforts. The New York Times is the clearest dissenter, finding the material sugary and smug rather than enchanting. Even the less enthusiastic reviews generally acknowledge the strength of the acting.

## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 April 1991. 

The critic calls it a lovely, original comedy and the work of a mature artist with a fresh and startlingly humane vision, praising Minghella's direction, dialogue, and the remarkable performances by Stevenson and Rickman.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1991/05/06/1991-05-06-027-tny-cards-000143938)

## Radio Times — Sue Heal

Rating 4/5. 

Dubbed the British Ghost, this romantic drama is a far more witty and incisive affair distinguished by glorious performances from Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson. Its strengths include emotional integrity throughout and Anthony Minghella's skill at blending pathos with well-aimed humour.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bbuscu/truly-madly-deeply/)

## Variety

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1990. 

The review praises the sharply scripted study as an impressive directorial debut, noting fine ensemble playing and strong performances especially by Stevenson, while acknowledging surface similarities to Ghost but a different feel and theme.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1990/film/reviews/truly-madly-deeply-1200428667/)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 24 May 1991. 

The critic finds the film an odd but moving take on ghosts returning from the afterlife, praising the convincing early scenes of grief and reunion as well as the strong performances by Stevenson and Rickman. He notes it leads to some profound truths about choosing between worlds.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/truly-madly-deeply-1991)

## Empire — William Thomas

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The film is a BBC-funded mood piece about a woman's reaction to her lover's death and his ghostly return, more intimate than blockbuster fare like Ghost. It shifts from honest grief to humor, with strong performances from Stevenson and Rickman, though the ghosts undermine its serious intent.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/truly-madly-deeply-review/)

## Time Out — TCh

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 22 July 2015. 

The BBC's sweet, feminine answer to Ghost focuses on Juliet Stevenson's emotional turmoil after her lover's death, with Alan Rickman returning as a chauvinistic ghost. The bereavement metaphor is over-extended and Minghella tends to cloy, but Stevenson's performance nearly succeeds and Rickman's apparition provides fun moments.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/truly-madly-deeply)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 3 May 1991. 

The review compares the film unfavorably to Ghost and finds it should be enchanting but ultimately isn't, criticizing the gooey and smug material despite good actors who work hard on it.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/03/movies/review-film-living-or-dead-too-good-to-be-true.html)

---
© 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/truly-madly-deeply.md