--- title: "Wicked Little Letters: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/wicked-little-letters/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/wicked-little-letters" critics_score: 60 critics_reviews: 21 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." --- # Wicked Little Letters (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 60 from 21 reviews: 9 positive, 8 mixed, 4 negative. Most critics agree on where the pleasure lies and disagree about whether it is enough. Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley are praised almost everywhere, as a pairing more than separately, and the profane script gets credit for letting them trade insults with obvious relish; Timothy Spall and Anjana Vasan are singled out by several as strong support. The reservations cluster around the swearing itself, which many find tiresome once the novelty wears off, and around a tone that swerves between cosy period comedy and darker material without settling. Several reviews say the plot is thin and the mystery obvious, and that the film raises misogyny and race without exploring either. The spread is wide. Deadline finds it fantastically funny, while The Guardian calls it unfunny and heavy-handed and the Evening Standard thinks even the two leads are below their best. The British papers are noticeably colder than the American ones. ## RogerEbert.com — Sheila O'Malley Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2024. The film is a really effective British mystery spiked with caper comedy. Colman and Buckley make a pleasing pairing as the two leads with very different styles of openness. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wicked-little-letters-film-review-2024) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2023. Festival review. An enormously entertaining period romp with a gloriously profane screenplay that allows Colman and Buckley to flex comedic talents, delivering a blast of subversive swearing in a cosy setting. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/wicked-little-letters-toronto-review/5185769.article) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2024. The critic calls it an unfailingly entertaining sweary Britflick with breezy pacing and a terrific cast, highlighting Colman’s enjoyment in the role and Buckley’s perfect casting as the likeable force of nature. The story is simplistic but charming overall. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/wicked-little-letters-review-olivia-colman-foul-mouth-funny-2918318) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 28 March 2024. Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley elevate a silly comedy about a weird true tale of defamation and dirty words. The movie is a darkly funny take leaning more toward farce than darkness. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/28/movies/wicked-little-letters-review.html) ## Empire — Laura Venning Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 February 2024. The critic notes repetitive insults do most of the comedic heavy lifting and the film is overly quirky at times, but it fares better with drama and social commentary; Colman effortlessly elevates weaker material while Spall and Buckley are compelling. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wicked-little-letters/) ## Variety — Peter Debruge Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 January 2024. Festival review. The irreverent arthouse movie tweaks a traditionally over-polite genre with an entertaining account of a primitive form of online flame wars. It is a bawdy black comedy that isn’t nearly as “outrageous” as it would have you believe. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/wicked-little-letters-review-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley-1235862462/) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 3/5. 19 February 2024. A perverse twist on the typical period comedy with an uneven tone and good cast performances, but it lacks consistency especially in the frantic final third. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/wicked-little-letters-review/) ## Time Out — Helen O’Hara Rating 3/5. 12 February 2024. It's a sweary but cosy period comedy that's not quite wicked enough, with fun performances and language but lacking sharpness and focus amid touched-on issues. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/wicked-little-letters-review-2024) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2024. The film is a serviceable trifle with a great psychosexual drama lurking inside, but wastes its premise and cast with treacly comedy and a reductive approach. It delights in naughtiness but should have embraced its perversion more fully. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/wicked-little-letters-review-shouldve-been-naughtier.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Robert Abele Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2024. The shock value feels about a century too late in this occasionally amusing but ultimately worn-to-the-bone joke of a potty-mouthed period comedy. It is benignly enjoyable in its take on a true story of hidden feelings and farcical expression. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-03-30/wicked-little-letters-review-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley-timothy-spall) ## Total Film — James Mottram Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 14 February 2024. The critic describes an ultimately rather cosy tale of British eccentricity with eminently watchable stars and excellent support, but criticises erratic tone, descent into farce, and failure to fully explore deeper social issues. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/wicked-little-letters-review/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/2/2. 22 February 2024. The critic finds it a flimsy comic farce that squanders potential with thin material and tired humour. Colman is hampered by the overly quaint parochial tone and lack of depth. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/wicked-little-letters) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 22 February 2024. The film tries to blend chocolate-box period drama with ornate swearing but the excessive profanity quickly becomes tiresome and fails to compensate for a thin plot and exhausted mystery. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/wicked-little-letters-review-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley/) ## Evening Standard — Nick Howells Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2024. The critic finds the swearing gimmick quickly tiresome and the film a daft, bumbling farce that fails to sustain laughs, with Colman and Buckley delivering less than stellar work overall. Spall’s performance is singled out as the sole standout. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/wicked-little-letters-movie-review-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley-swearing-b1140533.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 22 February 2024. The critic finds the film unconvincing, unfunny and heavy-handed, sidestepping any deeper insight into the real scandal in favour of broad, misjudged laughs. It wastes a strong cast despite occasional moments lifted by the actors' talent. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/feb/22/wicked-little-letters-review-a-depressing-obvious-clunky-waste-of-a-stellar-cast) ## IndieWire — Jourdain Searles 14 September 2023. Festival review. Thea Sharrock's film follows a real poison-pen story but doesn't have enough bite of its own, resulting in a strange true-life comedy that fails to fully capitalize on its premise and cast. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/wicked-little-letters-review-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley-1234905494/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 17 September 2023. Festival review. The critic finds the film a forced farce that takes a one-note farcical approach to the real-life scandal, swerving between comedy and tragedy without hitting its stride. Strong performances from Colman, Buckley, and Vasan are undermined by the strained tone and shallow feminist framing. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/wicked-little-letters-review-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley-1235591425/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★☆☆☆. 23 February 2024. The swearing provides brief amusement but the paper-thin characters and obvious plot offer little else, making the central gimmick unsustainable. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/wicked-little-letters-review-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley-g9q5rsh2x) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2023. Festival review. The critic calls it a fantastically funny feature and a runaway British comedy of the year. They single out the joy in the profane script and the performances of the mostly female cast, particularly Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/09/wicked-little-letters-review-thea-sharrock-olivia-colman-jessie-buckley-1235542275/) ## Collider — Aidan Kelley Rating 7/10. 27 July 2024. Festival review. A witty comedic mystery elevated by a spectacular cast led by Colman and Buckley and sharp dialogue, though the central mystery feels rushed, predictable, and underdeveloped. [Read the review](https://collider.com/wicked-little-letters-review/) ## The Playlist — Ankit Jhunjhunwala Rating B-. 17 September 2023. Festival review. Colman and Buckley deliver spirited performances in this diverting but slight trifle that is undemanding and breezy but too long for its minimal stakes. The film functions better as a whydunnit than a mystery and highlights the leads effectively. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/wicked-little-letters-review-olivia-colman-and-jessie-buckley-spar-in-diverting-little-triffle-tiff-20230917/) ## Digital Spy — Mireia Mullor Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2024. The critic finds the film an enjoyable but uneven comedy that fails to fully deliver on its wild premise or focus amid too many themes. They single out the chemistry between Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley and the satisfying use of authentic foul language for praise. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a46851662/wicked-little-letters-review/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2024. The film offers a well-polished if tonally uneven and oddly cosy retelling of the real-life scandal, struggling with its farcical elements and heavy themes. Strong performances from Colman, Buckley and Vasan provide the main interest amid obvious plotting and mixed laughs. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/wicked-little-letters-2023-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## Paste — Chloe Walker Rating 5.5/10. 27 March 2024. A tepid and dated comedy that fails to capitalize on the strong chemistry between Colman and Buckley, relying too heavily on repetitive profanity while delivering flat direction and underdeveloped supporting characters. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/jessie-buckley/wicked-little-letters-review) ## Film Stories — Maria Lattila 23 February 2024. The film is an absolute hoot with simple pleasures from Colman and Buckley trading insults, though the narrative holds few surprises. It showcases internalised misogyny effectively but struggles with thinly drawn male characters and an under-addressed racial element. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/wicked-little-letters-review-jessie-buckley-and-olivia-colman-shine-in-this-sweary-drama/) --- © 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/wicked-little-letters.md