Adolph Green always said that they based the warm, maternal and loyal main character on Holliday herself; perhaps that's why she manages to more than save it, she makes it very worthwhile to watch. [21 Jul 1990]
Vincente Minnelli makes use of the wide screen with graceful, fluid movement, and he helps Martin anchor his usual breeziness with just the right amount of anxiety.
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
The endearing Judy Holliday's last film, 1960's Bells are Ringing, may not be her best, but it's definitely worth tuning in. [29 Dec 1996, p.4]
Vincente Minnelli's film might have benefited from less emphasis on dialogue and more on the musical numbers ("Just in Time" and "The Party's Over" among them), but Holliday is adorable and efforlessly "real" in one of the best roles of her sadly abbreviated career.
Engaging entertainment, but far from Minnelli’s peak.
50
Time Out
Time Out
The two stars are a pleasure to behold, particularly the genially dizzy Holliday, a telephone answering-service operator who can't help involving herself in the lives and hopes of her clients. And old Mr Nonchalance Martin sidles through his part as a doubting, drunken playwright with his customary charm. But their material just isn't up to the mark.
38
Slant MagazineJeremiah Kipp
Slant MagazineJeremiah Kipp
It has the unfortunate effect of being a movie that seems stuck on a Broadway stage.