The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld; Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

“Fashion has a reputation for being po-faced, which makes it easy for outsiders to sneer. But this oddly sweet film, neither too reverent nor too cutting, gives a rounded picture of a man who earned his position as not so much a titan of fashion but one of its gods. It is gossipy and serious, thorough and frothy, and the 90 minutes breeze by.”
Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian

“The friends, neighbours and colleagues of the late Karl Lagerfeld, the gloved, ponytailed, fat-hating fashion designer, couldn’t stop talking. They were an interviewer’s dream. It was almost as if the director Michael Waldman had hypnotised his talking heads because every time he said, ‘May I ask you a direct question?’ they answered, obediently.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“Fashion documentaries can be dull, but not The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld. That’s partly because Karl Lagerfeld was a scream – spending money on an Elton John scale, insulting the rich and famous, choosing a cat as his muse – but also because Bafta-winning film-maker Michael Waldman has sought out some unexpected interviewees for this mischievous feature-length film.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“The puss proved the perfect emblem in an engrossing, bewildering, hilarious and exasperating 90-minute film. Most of the other contributors also looked as though they spent every waking moment grooming themselves.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“Grown women will lap this up, as they did with the first two series of Bridgerton and the Julia Quinn books on which the series is based, but really this show is perfect for 14-year-olds. In my day, we had Brat Pack films and Judy Blume books to fuel our romantic daydreams, and this is the modern-day equivalent. The storytelling is at the same level of complexity as a Jackie magazine photo-story.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“The prequel feels rushed and slick production, usually Bridgerton’s hallmark, occasionally goes out the window. But the central romance and lack of chemistry between the central lovers is the real problem here. Corey Mylchreest is horribly miscast as the king and lacks all that fiery vulnerability that made Regé-Jean Page and Jonathan Bailey so lustworthy in the first two series. I spent several episodes hoping he’d bugger off so I could watch the women do some more scheming, and you sense that the women feel the same.”
Francesca Steele, The i