The reviews are consistently positive, with praise centred on Dustin Hoffman’s layered performance and the film’s ability to make an unlikely premise feel believable. Critics repeatedly find vulnerability beneath the farce, crediting Hoffman with giving the comedy emotional weight without slowing its pace. The sharp dialogue, strong supporting cast and Sydney Pollack’s assured direction also draw praise, with several reviews stressing that the humour works because the characters remain recognisable people rather than simply serving the jokes.
The spread is narrow, but the enthusiasm is not entirely unqualified. Time Out admires the polish, quick wit and Jessica Lange’s performance while arguing that the film avoids confronting its implications about gender and makes an insulting assumption about female audiences. That reservation stands apart from the other reviews’ emphasis on comic conviction and warmth: the principal disagreement concerns how seriously the film examines the situation it makes so funny.