Chapman's "In Search of Stupidity" characterized the film as: "Possibly one of the best movies ever made by Burt Reynolds", and described the film's parody of est as accurate and amusing. Leonard Maltin criticized parts of the script, stating that Reynolds' charm filled in for the film's other deficiencies. Hunsberger criticized Ritchie's screenplay adaptation in his work "The Quintessential Dictionary", complaining that the game of football should have supported the film as a plot device, but was instead left to the side in favor of other stories.