Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film one star out of four and wrote that "it sinks altogether during a series of the most incompetent and clumsy dance numbers I've ever seen." Gene Siskel of the "Chicago Tribune" awarded one star out of four and wrote that "Nothing works. Not the lyrics, not the sets, not the dancing, not the script, and—with all that going against them—not the actors." Vincent Canby of "The New York Times" called the film "a big, stale marshamallow" that was "surprisingly tacky in appearance" despite its large budget. Charles Champlin of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that the film looked "tacky and uncomfortable" and described the songs as "mechanical and uninteresting." Gary Arnold of "The Washington Post" wrote that the score "leaves almost no impression and certainly nothing resembling a joyful impression", adding "Even if the songs did make you dance with joy, you'd be dancing alone. With the exception of Bobby Van, a kind of poor man's Donald O'Connor, the cast has no aptitude for singing and dancing."