Total Film by Neil Smith

A rib-tickling homage to the gumshoe shows of yesteryear, with an endearingly daffy mindset.

Time Out London by Cath Clarke

Thorncroft is a gem of comedy creation – played to perfection by Barratt.

The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw

There are such great gags, and it is acted with such fanatical gusto by Barratt that it’s impossible not to root for this unlikeliest of heroes.

CineVue by Jamie Neish

Mindhorn is a ridiculous comic creation taken to extraordinary, laugh-a-minute heights.

The Playlist by Oliver Lyttelton

The film is very, very funny, consistently.

Screen Daily by Charles Gant

Co-writers Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby fly the flag for a rare original idea with the goofy, genial, fitfully inspired Mindhorn.

Screen International by Charles Gant

Co-writers Julian Barratt and Simon Farnaby fly the flag for a rare original idea with the goofy, genial, fitfully inspired Mindhorn.

Paste Magazine by Deborah Krieger

It’s clear, in any case, that Mindhorn is a labor of love for the cast and crew, and while it’s not as memorable as the comedies it recalls, its attention to more serious underlying themes is commendable.

The Telegraph by Tim Robey

For fans of Barratt, Boosh and mock-heroic Britcoms, it’ll mostly hit the spot.

Empire by Kim Newman

Though stuck with stretches of guff and looking all too convincingly like video-era rubbish TV, Mindhorn delivers regular proper laughs and eventually wrings just enough drops of pathos to scrape by.