In the Chicago Sun-Times, Daniel Ruth, who gave the film three stars, told readers that he had "never been a big fan of Bateman, a likable-enough young man who sort of fills up space on 'Valerie's Family.'
"[7] And critic Tom Green of USA Today called the film "a winner" that "gets off to a clunky start, but by the time Mom, Dad, little brother, the dog and all the furniture have vanished, we've got a thriller that's passably mesmerizing for a winter evening.
"Full of contrivances and coincidences and stupid G-men, this puerile piffle was clumsily directed by Chris Thompson from the preposterous script by Andy Tennant, and the supporting cast includes two fine actors, Richard Dysart of "L.A. Law" and John Glover of "An Early Frost," in kissoff roles," Terry wrote.
[9] And John Corry of The New York Times gave the film a mediocre review, writing that "Mr. Batemen, of NBC's Valerie's Family, is fine, although he doesn't have much to do in most of the movie except look glum.
Shales wrote that Bateman's character "ambles through shaggily and draggily, as if it were a nuisancey trip to the 7-Eleven for cigarettes and beer" and that "whatever the opposite of galvanizing is, that's what this smirking little shlub brings to the film."
Shales added that he felt that Bateman "doesn't convey any urgency or passion in attempting to locate the folks," and that the film had a credibility problem, concluding that "if they'd hired an actual actor for the lead role, a viewer might be able to feel some slight inclination to give a hoot.