At the time of its release, Variety wrote "Faithful adherence to the original H. G. Wells story is one of the main virtues of The History of Mr Polly," with the reviewer concluding that "Director Anthony Pelissier has put all the emphasis on the principal characters, and has extracted every ounce of human interest from the classic.
The critic's glowing review praises the movie for its meticulous adherence to the classic novel by H. G. Wells, emphasizing the director's focus on bringing out the emotional depth of the main characters.