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Harry Forbes (Catholic News Service) says, "Many will ask how anyone could dare remake the famous 1966 British film which, more than any other, put Michael Caine so memorably on the map. But Charles Shyer's New York-set Alfie … works just as well on its own terms, capped by a superb performance by Jude Law in the title role. The emptiness of [Alfie's] hedonistic lifestyle is beautifully conveyed as the story progresses. The result is a cautionary tale of the first order."

In her comparison of the old and new Alfie films, Elisabeth Leitch (Hollywood Jesus) says the new one has a lot to offer. "While Alfie's question, 'What's it all about?' still hangs in the air at the end of the movie, the answer seems to lie in the love he has seen in others' lives and the love he feels like he is missing."

Mainstream critics are praising Law, but most of them are disappointed in the film itself.

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