Michael Medved gave the film a negative review, citing it as an attack on religion. Anthony Lane of "The New Yorker" addressed the concerns of Catholics in his film review, stating that the film "is self-evident, spirit-lowering tripe that could not conceivably cause a single member of the flock to turn aside from the faith". In his "Movie Guide", Leonard Maltin called the film "a letdown in every respect". Director Howard noted that the overwhelmingly negative reviews were "frustrating" to him.