[1] Despite being about a very controversial topic (namely, age disparity in sexual relationships), the film addresses these issues in a low-key, relaxed manner.
[8] Richie Unterberger gave it 3 out of 5 stars in a review he wrote for AllMusic[9] and named it his fifth favorite album of 2001 in his list for Rolling Stone, writing "This soundtrack isn't a major effort from the Magnetic Fields man, but a modest triumph of subdued gloom all the same.
[17] The New York Times' Elvis Mitchell gave the film a 1 out of 5 rating, writing that it "might best be described as preaching to a sparse congregation, or else [Director James] Bolton is simply out to bore people into submission.
"[2][16] Ed Park of the Village Voice wrote that "Preachy and humorless, Eban and Charley shocks only by the quality of its numbing solipsism.
"[19] The Los Angeles Times' Kevin Thomas was more favorable, writing in his review of the film that "Few people will be able to go along with Bolton's point of view regarding relationships between adults and underage youths, but there's no denying the writer-director, in his feature debut, has avoided sensationalism in telling this story.