Period setting and musical numbers aside, the film is essentially not very different from Leigh's grungy contemporary dramas. What stands out in "Topsy-Turvy" is what drives "Naked," "Life is Sweet," and "Secrets and Lies": dizzying breakneck exchanges between people, uninterrupted. In fact, one of the most lyrical scenes, a mini-masterpiece of observation, is not one of the many beautifully reproduced musical numbers but an offstage rehearsal that practically flies along on Leigh's wordplay.
Steven Boone
March 2, 2000