Variety called it "an often-hilarious, partly-muffed contemporary comedy" marred by "sluggish pacing" and a climax called "bizarre: Lear seems to have written himself into a corner, with no way out except to shift abruptly from human comedy to stylistic nonsense." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film four stars and praised several aspects of the production before concluding: "Even if you don't smoke, you'll find Cold Turkey funny."
The review described the film as "amusing, but flawed" due to its slow pace and abrupt change in style. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film four stars and commended several elements before stating that it remains humorous, regardless of smoking habits.