"Entertainment Weekly" film critic Owen Gleiberman gave "The Young Victoria" a B+; he gave praise to Emily Blunt's performance and concluded, ""The Young Victoria" has a subtler flow than you might expect, and at times it's calmer than you may like. Director Jean-Marc Vallée's images have a creamy stateliness, but this is no gilded princess fantasy – it's the story of a budding ruler who learns to control her surroundings, and Blunt makes that journey at once authentic and relevant." Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" called it a "frivolously entertaining film" and believed it was "directed with some snap by Jean-Marc Vallée". Dargis finished her review, "Despite the filmmakers' efforts to persuade us that "The Young Victoria" is a serious work, and despite some tense moments and gunfire, the film's pleasures are as light as its story. No matter. Albert may never rip Victoria's bodice, but he does eventually loosen it, to her delight and ours."