The movie got mixed and negative reviews from critics. 1,000 people attended a preview screening of the movie and everybody except 40 people walked out. 35 of the 40 people who filled out cards said that they really did not like it. It has a 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Movie critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the movie gave the movie 3 and a half stars stars out of 4 and said that "A lot of the success of "9½ Weeks" is because Rourke and Basinger make the characters and their relationship convincing."