Il Divo received mostly positive reviews from critics. Il divo has an approval rating of 92% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 50 reviews, and an average rating of 7.51/10. The website's critical consensus states, "While the web of corruption in this Italian political thriller can be hard for a non-native to follow, the visuals and the intrigue are compelling and thrilling in equal measure".[9] It also has a score of 81 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 17 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]
Peter Brunette of The Hollywood Reporter praised the movie, pointing out the capacity of entertaining, the brilliant acting and the quality of the soundtrack. He noted that the movie will probably not have a great success outside Italy.[11] The same elements emerged from the review of Jay Weissberg from Variety, who defined the movie "a masterpiece" that "will become a touchstone for years to come".[12] Stephen Holden of The New York Times, while acknowledging that "the shadowy relationships among politicians, the Mafia and the Vatican are difficult to decipher" to the American audience as most of the real-life characters are little known outside Italy, describes the filmmaking as "a tour de force of indelibly flashy imagery" and ranks the film "alongside the best of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola".[13]
Andreotti himself walked out of the movie and dismissed the film, stating that it was "too much" and that he would be, in the end, judged "on his record".[14] Massimo Franco, a journalist and biographer of Andreotti, related that upon seeing the film "he was angry, calling it scurrilous". A few days later, Franco wrote that Andreotti joked cynically: "I'm happy for the producer. And I'd be even happier if I had a share of the takings."[15]
