The film holds an 8% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 3.1/10. The site's consensus states: ""The Pest" aims for zany comedy with social commentary, misses, and lands squarely at offensive misfire thanks to John Leguizamo's over-caffeinated performance and a script laden with stereotypes." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Leguizamo was nominated for Worst Actor for his performance in the film at the 1997 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards but lost to Tom Arnold for "McHale's Navy".