Jack Mathews of the Detroit Free Press commented, "In any event, the 52nd Academy Awards presentation will stand as one of the smoothest, most predictable, most reasonable Oscar nights in history. Also, alas, one of the most boring." The Baltimore Sun television critic Bill Carter quipped, "We found out Monday night when this year's edition of the Oscarcast streamlined to the point of emaciation (and still more than three hours long), thudded along like some awards dinner of the meat-packing industry."
The comments from Jack Mathews of the Detroit Free Press and Bill Carter of the Baltimore Sun illustrate their disparate opinions on the 52nd Academy Awards presentation, with Mathews finding it elegant and anticipated yet unexciting, whereas Carter describes it as sluggish and excessively prolonged.