The New York Times by Manohla Dargis

A sublimely nimble evisceration of that cult of celebrity known as the British royal family.

New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein

The Queen is the most reverent irreverent comedy imaginable. Or maybe it's the most irreverent reverent comedy. Either way, it's a small masterpiece.

Christian Science Monitor by Peter Rainer

Helen Mirren gives the mostly subtly expressive performance based on a living historical figure that I've ever seen.

New York Post by Lou Lumenick

All hail the great Helen Mirren, who after her triumph in HBO's "Elizabeth," delivers the performance of a lifetime as that monarch's frumpy, 20th century namesake in Stephen Frear's witty, touching and engrossing The Queen.

L.A. Weekly

Politically shrewd, unexpectedly funny yet immaculately tasteful docudrama.

USA Today by Claudia Puig

The Queen is the kind of thought-provoking, well-written and savvy film that discerning filmgoers long for but rarely get.

Boston Globe by Ty Burr

A subtle, often very funny, ultimately touching tragedy of royal manners and meaning.

Philadelphia Inquirer by Carrie Rickey

Piercingly funny and unexpectedly moving account of that odd couple, Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) and HRH Elizabeth II (majestic Helen Mirren) and their back-channels affair.

Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert

The Queen is a spellbinding story of opposed passions -- of Elizabeth's icy resolve to keep the royal family separate and aloof from the death of the divorced Diana, who was legally no longer a royal, and of Blair's correct reading of the public mood.

San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle

An absolute delight, combining the cheap thrills of a biopic with the gentler, but more lasting, pleasures of a brilliant character study.

Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum

Helen Mirren's allure lies not in finding what's regal in every woman she plays, but in finding what's womanly in every royal.

Slate by Dana Stevens

Helen Mirren is a goddess of an actress, and her Queen Elizabeth is maddening, hilarious, and deeply human, galumphing around the Balmoral estate in a tartan raincoat and waders as the Britain she thought she knew crumbles around her.

Newsweek

Marvelous, and surprisingly intimate.

Slate

Helen Mirren is a goddess of an actress, and her Queen Elizabeth is maddening, hilarious, and deeply human, galumphing around the Balmoral estate in a tartan raincoat and waders as the Britain she thought she knew crumbles around her.

Variety by Derek Elley

Tradition and informality collide -- and mutually benefit -- in the deliciously written and expertly played The Queen.

The Hollywood Reporter by Kirk Honeycutt

A fascinating mix of high-minded gossip and historical perspective, examines the clash of values -- of ritual and traditions versus media savvy and political ambition -- that leads to a crisis for the British monarchy.

Rolling Stone by Peter Travers

One of the best and liveliest movies of the year - funny and touching in ways you can't predict.

Village Voice by J. Hoberman

More fun than any movie about the violent death of a 36-year-old woman has a right to be. It's also as exotic an English-language picture as the season is likely to bring.

Empire by Kim Newman

Fascinating, funny, wicked and to the point, this is an excellent film about a week every Briton over the age of 15 will remember vividly.