Writing for "The Scotsman", Eddie Harrison said the ending "provides the single most heartbreaking moment in recent Scottish cinema, winning "Dear Frankie" a 15-minute standing ovation in Cannes and a less well publicised outbreak of mass sobbing at a press screening earlier the same day." In the UK, "Radio Times" awarded the film four out of a possible five stars and commented, "This simple story is rich with precise observation and it tugs at the heartstrings without being maudlin or manipulative ... With its sincere and perceptive script, the beautifully shot film vividly captures the raw emotions of its complex characters ... Despite occasional flickers of a fairy-tale ending, Auerbach ultimately resists the temptation, maintaining the realism and integrity that give this thoughtful feature its bittersweet charm." Philip French of "The Observer" described it as "a well-meaning but almost totally unconvincing tale ... [that's] a sentimental mess," while Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" stated, "This film struck me as sucrose and false when it premiered at last year's Cannes film festival. A second viewing certainly points up the presence of good actors doing an honest job, but they cannot do anything about something so mawkish and fundamentally unconvincing."