Stephen Holden of The New York Times said in a less favorable review, "if Bella (the title doesn’t make sense until the last scene) is a mediocre cup of mush, the response to it suggests how desperate some people are for an urban fairy tale with a happy ending, no matter how ludicrous."
Stephen Holden from The New York Times found "Bella" to be underwhelming and lacking in substance, stating that the film's simplistic narrative reflects a desire among some viewers for a whimsical urban fairytale with a predictable happy ending.