On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 118 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads: ""Billy Elliot" is a charming movie that can evoke both laughter and tears." At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.