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Topsy-Turvy (1999) Rank 5 Reviews

Expert Review Summary
Movie critics combined give Topsy-Turvy (1999) a score of 3.3989 out of 4
based on (56) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Excellent
4
Excellent
(34)
Very Good
3
Very Good
(20)
Good
2
Good
(1)
Fair
1
Fair
(1)
Poor
0
Poor
(0)
Reviews by Score:
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
Long before the Marx Brothers brought artful anarchy to stage and screen or Cole Porter or Stephen Sondheim wrote their distinctively witty Broadway songs, the glorious comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan led the way.Their great ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Jack Garner)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
It is one of the year's best films. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for San Francisco Chronicle (Bob Graham)San Francisco Chronicle (Bob Graham)
Part of the appeal of Topsy-Turvy is its generosity about human folly and shortcomings. Its wistfulness is very touching. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at San Francisco Chronicle (Bob Graham)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
Some movies delight you. Some stimulate and provoke. Some enlighten and inform. And some simply hand you a rousing good time-- does all of that and more. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Chicago Tribune (Michael Wilmington)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
A tribute to anyone who ever picked up a score, a pen, a paintbrush or a grease pencil - or a movie camera. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Dallas Observer (Gregory Weinkauf)Dallas Observer (Gregory Weinkauf)
A masterful film about the magic of performance and the foibles of the artists behind it. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Dallas Observer (Gregory Weinkauf)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
A triumph. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Philadelphia Inquirer (Steven Rea)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for USA Today (Mike Clark)USA Today (Mike Clark)
One of the year's best movies and certainly its most delightful screen surprise. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at USA Today (Mike Clark)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
Topsy-Turvy reminds us that, in any age, creative expression is at once the most personal and most communal of enterprises. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Lisa Schwarzbaum)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
This 160minute musical epic (just right in lengththe film was never dull for a second), moves at its own very satisfying speed, enhanced by the magnificent musical arrangements of Carl Davis and replete with many hilarious episodes (it's a very funny ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Not since Milos Foreman's "Amadeus" has there been a film that so captures the genius behind musical composition the way Mike Leigh's "Topsy-Turvy" - the story of Gilbert and Sullivan's creation of "The Mikado" - does. How ironic then that Mr. Forman's ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Big Picture Big Sound (Joe Lozito)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Mike Leigh's "Topsy-Turvy" is the work of a man helplessly in love with the theater. In a gloriously entertaining period piece, he tells the story of the genesis, preparation and ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
Jim Broadbent gives one of his most perfectly tuned performances as William Schwenk Gilbert, and Allan Corduner is equally adept as Arthur Sullivan. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Christian Science Monitor (David Sterritt)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Musicals adapted as films, don't get any better than this offbeat one. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Ozus' World Movie Reviews (Dennis Schwartz)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)
Imagine what show business would be like without the collaborative efforts of some of the greatest partnerships of all time. You know the ones I'm talking about. Abbott and Costello. Rodgers and Hammerstein. Lennon and McCartney. Gilbert and Sullivan. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Scott's Movie Reviews (Scott Mantz)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 4.00 out of 4 stars for Netflix (James Rocchi)Netflix (James Rocchi)
Tale about "The Mikado" and its creators, Gilbert and Sullivan, provides rich cinema. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Netflix (James Rocchi)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.64 out of 4 stars for Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
It's as full a movie as you can imagine -- exhausting and exhilarating and continually fascinating. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Portland Oregonian (Shawn Levy)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.60 out of 4 stars for Variety (Deborah Young)Variety (Deborah Young)
This beautifully crafted and lively romp around the 1880s stage world should enjoy its longest life as a vid classic. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Variety (Deborah Young)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.60 out of 4 stars for Washington Post (Desson Thomson)Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
A 160 minute work of sustained brilliance and delicacy. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Washington Post (Desson Thomson)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.60 out of 4 stars for LA Weekly (F. X. Feeney)LA Weekly (F. X. Feeney)
We never seem to be looking at actors, but at people; never at scenes, but at life unrehearsed. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at LA Weekly (F. X. Feeney)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.60 out of 4 stars for Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Thoroughly researched, unobtrusively upholstered, this beautifully assured entertainment about Victorian England is a string of delights. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.60 out of 4 stars for Village Voice (J. Hoberman)Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Not only Mike Leigh's strongest film since "Naked" but a true show-making epic. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Village Voice (J. Hoberman)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.60 out of 4 stars for The New York Times (Janet Maslin)The New York Times (Janet Maslin)
One of those films that create a mix of erudition, pageantry and delectable acting opportunities, much as "Shakespeare in ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at The New York Times (Janet Maslin)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.56 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Wildly entertaining, "Shakespeare in Love" minus the Bard and the babe, but with substantive style to burn. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.52 out of 4 stars for San Francisco Examiner (Wesley Morris)San Francisco Examiner (Wesley Morris)
Mike Leigh's great big, superbly performed homage to the creative process. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at San Francisco Examiner (Wesley Morris)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.52 out of 4 stars for Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
A joyous, amazingly detailed paean to imagination and personal expression that dares -- and succeeds -- to illustrate one of the most mysterious enigmas of all: the creative process. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Miami Herald (Rene Rodriguez)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.52 out of 4 stars for New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
A hive of broad, brilliant performances. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at New York Daily News (Jack Mathews)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
What the film lacks, though, is a conclusion; it's not really meant to have one. The whole point is to be a period piece, a historical drama (with some comedy) meant to depict Victorian theater life. This is done extraordinarily well. What it does ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at The Land of Eric (Eric D. Snider)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Movie Reviews UKMovie Reviews UK
In one scene from Topsy-Turvy, Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner), Victorian carouser and the melodic half of light opera geniuses Gilbert and Sullivan, fashionably laments his commercial success as his devoted mistress Fanny (Eleanor David) faithfully ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Movie Reviews UK
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Naked this isn't. British film director Mike Leigh is known more for his love of dark improvisation and interpersonal dramas (Secrets & Lies, High Hopes) than his dalliances with the stage, but the fact is that Leigh came from a thoroughly theatrical ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marc Savlov)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for The New Zealand HeraldThe New Zealand Herald
You don't have to like Gilbert and Sullivan to like Topsy-Turvy, a biopic of sorts of the masters of Victorian operetta and effectively the inventors of the modern musical. But it helps. An appreciation of director Mike Leigh, whose tragi-comic films ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at The New Zealand Herald
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Gary JonesGary Jones
Despite his ambitions as a serious composer, Sullivan is a bit of a party animal, while Gilbert, in contrast to his delightfully funny lyrics and dry wit, is a fairly joyless soul whose only moments of spontaneity occur in private. Leigh manages to ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Gary Jones
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Homer YenHomer Yen
"TopsyTurvy" is a sweet film that focuses on this particular period of this partnership's lives when it seemed that the two were ready to split up over creative differences. In a meeting that the two have to discuss their future and current impasse, ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Homer Yen
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.50 out of 4 stars for Reel.comReel.com
Topsy-Turvy isn't the straightforward Gilbert and Sullivan biopic many viewers would expect. Facts, figures, dates, and time-period detail aren't thrown at you like a narrated PBS special. The story of mismatched musical partners is liberally tossed up ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Reel.com
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.32 out of 4 stars for Seattle Post-Intelligencer (William Arnold)Seattle Post-Intelligencer (William Arnold)
At 160 minutes, it's a bit long and uneventful for anyone who is not at least a moderate fan of the musicals. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Seattle Post-Intelligencer (William Arnold)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Scott RenshawScott Renshaw
When TOPSYTURVY finally hits its stride, with Gilbert's visit to the exposition, it's an extraordinarily entertaining piece of work. Leigh dives into the preproduction process with gusto, exploring every possible element of a theater company's work. The ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Scott Renshaw
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Mike Leigh's "Topsy-Turvy" is a visually sumptuous film about the last phase of the partnership between William Schwenk Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, the respective lyricist and composer who, from 1871 to 1896, wrote 14 operettas that ruled the London ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.25 out of 4 stars for Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
British writer, director Mike Leigh ( Life is Sweet, Naked, Secrets and Lies) historically has a boot camp approach to rehearsing with his actors and many parts of his scripts are created out of the improvisations that occur during these sessions. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Lobo Howls (Judith Wolfe)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.24 out of 4 stars for Mr. Showbiz (Michael Atkinson)Mr. Showbiz (Michael Atkinson)
Topsy-Turvy is flawless, borne along by a savagely witty screenplay that Leigh directs like the gears of a clock. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Mr. Showbiz (Michael Atkinson)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)
...should be seen by anyone, regardless of age, who appreciates a good story, good acting, and good music. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
The performances cut deeper than usual for costume films, and the actors once again seem to literally become who they're playing. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
A bit longer than it might be, a bit more attached to its digressions than we might wish. But the length does encourage the feeling that we've been through the whole creative process with Gilbert and Sullivan . ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Los Angeles Times (Kenneth Turan)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.20 out of 4 stars for New York Times (Janet Maslin)New York Times (Janet Maslin)
One of those films that create a mix of erudition, pageantry and delectable acting opportunities, much as Shakespeare in Love did last year. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at New York Times (Janet Maslin)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for filmcritic.com (Robert Marley)filmcritic.com (Robert Marley)
One of my earliest childhood remembrances was watching a performance of H.M.S. Pinafore. I thought it was really neat. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at filmcritic.com (Robert Marley)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for ReelViews (James Berardinelli)ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
On a certain level, this is one of Mike Leigh's most challenging productions. Not only has he produced a narrative feature based on real events and historical figures, but he has elected to stage significant portions of Gilbert and Sullivan ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for Steve RhodesSteve Rhodes
TOPSYTURVY, an homage to the business of show business and to Gilbert and Sullivan operas, is a surprising work by writer/director Mike Leigh, an intense filmmaker best known for edgy dramas like NAKED and SECRETS AND LIES. Set in London in 1884, ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Steve Rhodes
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
A charming, warm, witty movie, funny one minute and moving the next. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at New York Post (Jonathan Foreman)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 3.00 out of 4 stars for ReelViews (James Berardinelli)ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Over the course of their famous partnership, which lasted from 1871 until 1896, the team of William Gilbert (librettist) and Arthur Sullivan (composer) produced 14 operettas, including such classics as "The Pirates of Penzance", "The Mikado", and "The Gon ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for TV Guide (Maitland McDonagh)TV Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
A loving, gently funny and slightly claustrophobic tribute to theatrical life. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at TV Guide (Maitland McDonagh)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 2.80 out of 4 stars for Scott Renshaw's Screening Room (Scott Renshaw)Scott Renshaw's Screening Room (Scott Renshaw)
It's an extraordinarily entertaining piece of work. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Scott Renshaw's Screening Room (Scott Renshaw)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 2.75 out of 4 stars for Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)
TOPSY TURVY is an explosion of absorbing period detail. Too bad it takes a good hour-and-a-half for writer/director Mike Leigh's story of Gilbert, Sullivan, and "The Mikado" to finally hits its comically dramatic stride. For the butt-numbing first half ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Movie Hell (Michael J. Legeros)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 2.52 out of 4 stars for Boston Globe (Jay Carr)Boston Globe (Jay Carr)
In the end, it's the snatches of music, mangled as it is, and the mechanics of staging it, in the absence of Leigh's usual raw, urgent psychic collisions, that keep Topsy-Turvy from seeming merely a gorgeous wax museum. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Boston Globe (Jay Carr)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Cinematter (Matt Williams)Cinematter (Matt Williams)
Mike Leigh directs this period piece about Gilbert and Sullivan and the creation of their most famous comic opera, The Mikado. Timothy Spall, Alison Steadman, Jim Broadbent and Lesley Manville star. Capsule Review : Interesting, but way overlong. The ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Cinematter (Matt Williams)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 2.50 out of 4 stars for Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie VoiceFilm Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Like all of director Mike Leigh's films, his critics' fave about the making of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado was not conventionally made; there was no set script, and its story was developed through extensive rehearsals with the cast (Leigh was ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 2.00 out of 4 stars for The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
Rethinking all the film's good qualities, though, leaves me even more perplexed at what on earth was going on during its first hour, which is a pointless, dreary waste of time made even worse by the fact that my watch was broken. Perhaps the ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at The UK Critic (Ian Waldron-Mantgani)
Topsy-Turvy (1999) scores a combined 0.50 out of 4 stars for Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
I tried, but I couldn't make it all the way through this film. Fifty-five minutes isn't a respectable enough length of time to do a legitimate review. Therefore, feel free to call this review illegitimate. ...read the complete Topsy-Turvy movie review at Hollywood Report Card (Ross Anthony)
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Topsy-Turvy (1999) Reviews
Topsy-Turvy (1999)

RANKINGS:

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Ratings and rankings are based on number of movie, review scores, awards & other criteria.
Overall Rating:
3.4147
Topsy-Turvy (1999) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
Avg Critic Score:
3.3989
Topsy-Turvy (1999) is ranked overall as out of 4 stars
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