--- title: "The Girlfriend: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-girlfriend/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/tv/the-girlfriend" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 11 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 Girlfriend (2025): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 11 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics find The Girlfriend an entertaining, knowingly excessive psychological thriller, with praise centred on Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke as the mother and girlfriend locked in a struggle for control. Their chemistry and increasingly unrestrained performances give the glossy family melodrama much of its appeal. The shifting viewpoints also win broad approval for making sympathies uncertain, exposing possessiveness and prejudice, and keeping the central conflict lively even when the behaviour becomes extravagant. The reservations concern how much surprise and substance sit beneath that polish, rather than whether the series entertains. The Hollywood Reporter finds the plot predictable but the acting sufficiently enjoyable, while The AV Club points to bland supporting characters and a shortage of startling twists. The spread is fairly narrow: even Paste’s more qualified response praises the leads and the fun, though it finds that escalating ridiculousness costs the drama nuance. ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2025. The review calls the series an irresistible thriller featuring deliciously unhinged mother-in-law versus daughter-in-law conflict in a lavish setting. It highlights the strong chemistry between the leads and the entertaining escalation of the twisted family drama. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/the-girlfriend-prime-video-review/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2025. The review lauds the high-gloss, high-stakes miniseries as high-camp melodrama at its best that hooks viewers immediately. It singles out the intense central performances and the intoxicating clash between the poised mother and the disruptive girlfriend. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/the-girlfriend-prime-video-review-olivia-cooke-robin-wright-b1246511.html) ## Radio Times — David Craig Rating 4/5. 8 September 2025. The critic finds it the most fun drama series of the year thanks to its scandalous mystery and entertaining qualities. They praise the superbly executed dual perspectives that shift allegiances and the strong performances from Wright and Cooke, while noting the bleak ending feels slightly deflating after the gleeful ride. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-girlfriend-review/) ## The Guardian — Lucy Mangan Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 September 2025. The critic praises the series as a stylish, steamy oedipal thriller that pushes a mother-son-girlfriend love triangle to extremes with shifting perspectives and twists. She singles out its playful handling of unreliable narrators and family dynamics for particular note. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/06/the-girlfriend-warning-this-sexy-oedipal-thriller-may-be-too-shocking-for-vanilla-viewers) ## Variety — Aramide Tinubu Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2025. The critic calls it a wild, thrilling ride about manipulation, control and jealousy that keeps viewers guessing with its perspective-shifting structure and jaw-dropping twists. They single out the dynamism and performances of Cooke and Wright as what separates it from similar shows. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2025/tv/reviews/the-girlfriend-review-robin-wright-olivia-cooke-1236506439/) ## The Times — Tim Glanfield Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2025. The critic describes the show as a twisty, tense and addictive psychological thriller full of sex, lies and unhinged behaviour. It praises the central clash and the guilty-pleasure appeal of the high-stakes drama. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/the-girlfriend-review-robin-wright-gets-bonkers-in-this-addictive-thriller-h0h8n7pgb) ## The AV Club — Christina Izzo Rating B-. 8 September 2025. The critic praises the juicy interpersonal drama and dual-perspective format highlighting prejudice and possessiveness but finds the supporting characters blandly written and the story lacking startling twists. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-girlfriend-review-tv-prime-video) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Angie Han Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2025. The critic says delicious acting elevates a predictable plot in this amusingly nasty thriller, with the dual perspectives and escalating power struggle providing the main appeal. They single out Wright and Cooke’s unhinged performances for praise while noting the soapy nonsense is knowingly silly and fun. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-girlfriend-review-robin-wright-olivia-cooke-amazon-1236365414/) ## IndieWire — Proma Khosla 10 September 2025. The review focuses on the tension and war between the protective mother and her son's new girlfriend in this psychological thriller adaptation. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/shows/the-girlfriend-review-olivia-cooke-robin-wright-1235150193/) ## Collider — Therese Lacson Rating 8/10. 8 September 2025. The stylish, twist-filled thriller keeps viewers on edge with its perspective-switching format and excellent chemistry between Olivia Cooke and Robin Wright. Supporting characters are underdeveloped and the ending feels slightly unnecessary. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-girlfriend-prime-video-review-olivia-cooke-robin-wright/) ## NME — Nick Levine Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2025. The series is a taut, twisty psychological thriller that keeps viewers guessing through dual perspectives in each episode. It succeeds thanks to strong performances from Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke and enough psychological intrigue to elevate its campy elements. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/the-girlfriend-review-olivia-cooke-robin-wright-3891230) ## Paste — Lacy Baugher Milas Rating 6.8/10. 10 September 2025. The stars deliver strong performances in this melodramatic thriller that plays with perception through dual viewpoints, but it grows overly ridiculous and loses nuance as the plot twists escalate. It remains entertaining trashy fun despite feeling familiar. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/amazon-prime-video/the-girlfriend-review) --- © 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/tv/the-girlfriend.md