Another negative review came from Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" who stated: "Mr. Diamond, looking glum and seldom making eye contact with anyone, isn't enough of a focus for the outmoded story". "Time Out London" called the appearance of Neil Diamond "the most cautious soft-rock superstar movie debut you'll ever get to see". The only top critic to give a positive review of the film (according to "Rotten Tomatoes") was Dave Kehr of the "Chicago Reader". He wrote that "Richard Fleischer's direction is appropriately close-in and small, and Diamond himself, while no actor, proves to be a commandingly intense, brooding presence".