The film received a positive reception from Roger Ebert,[1] Allmovie,[2] and VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever.

[4] The film's story revolves around a young adolescent Bobby (Gary McCleery) who decides to accompany his brother along for a drive in his vehicle.

A woman counselor Laura (Margaret Klenck) is given the young man's file and she is under the impression that he did not commit the crime.

[8] Filmmakers Rick King and Robert Mickelson resorted to passing out fliers around New York City as a way to promote the film.

[11] Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, and commented: "Many movies start out strong and end in confusion and compromise.

"[1] Vincent Canby gave the film a mixed review, writing in The New York Times: "Hard Choices is Mr. King's first dramatic feature and it's clear that he has talent.

Totally unnecessary, and off-putting, is the use of overlapping dialogue, which is supposed to keep the film moving at a breathless pace but more often interrupts it.

"[12] Dave Kehr gave the film a critical review for the Chicago Tribune, concluding: "The characters in Hard Choices remain pawns in the director's ideological game, their movements dictated not by inner necessity but the requirements of King's preprogrammed political strategies.

[2] Writing for Allmovie, Eleanor Mannikka described Hard Choices as an "odd mix of social commentary, forbidden romance, police action thriller, and teenage delinquency".