[10] In her autobiography, A Paper Life, O'Neal stated that the "premise of the movie was a little pedophilic and creepy, but the worst part for me was having to do a seminude scene.

Even from the back, my body language shows that they'd forced me to take my shirt off-- at least it's obvious to me-- and that I'm standing there miserably aware of my half-developed breasts.

[18] Terry Kelleher, writing in the Miami Herald, gave the film one star out of four stating that it "lives down to expectations" and was critical of its cinematography and Burton's performance.

[19] Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide states that "Burton is OK, and Dassin does not go for the cheap thrill, but the result is slight and forgettable.

From People magazine's "Picks and Pans Review": Richard Burton has carried a film or two in his day, and he tries to tote this one along.

Burton, 56, plays a Toronto artist whose muse and passion are revived by a liaison with Tatum O’Neal, 18, a schoolgirl who wants to be a writer.

It’s harder to accept the obnoxious supporting characters—her parents and friends, his art world associates—and the actors who play them quite badly.

He stooped so low in 1981 as to appear in Jules Dassin’s Circle of Two, in which he plays a 60-year-old artist who falls for the 16-year-old Tatum O’Neal.