The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise centred on Burt Lancaster’s ageing small-time crook: critics repeatedly pick out his dignity, desperation and capacity for tenderness. Susan Sarandon also draws praise, particularly for her chemistry with Lancaster. Most critics find warmth in the film’s treatment of people living among the resort’s fading promises. Malle and Guare’s blend of crime, romance and comedy is another point of agreement, while the changing city earns attention as more than a backdrop.
The differences are chiefly in enthusiasm rather than in stated objections, with scores ranging from 75 to 90. The New Yorker stresses the originality of the comic tone and the depth of feeling; The AV Club offers the more modest praise of a gentle, warm, well-acted film that is easy to like. No review here mounts a substantial dissent or identifies a recurring weakness.