Variety criticized the acting, saying "Beals is way out of her depth...Dunaway is ludicrously miscast...Fraser is too WASP-y, while Rosie O’Donnell turns up to deliver snappy comic relief as Suzanne's co-worker".

[4] The review in Radio Times complained that "there is a lot of screaming in this TV movie...Director Ross Marks must think that having his actors yelling their lines will make the audience understand them better, and the overwrought performances ruin an interesting premise".

[5] TV Guide was a little more forgiving of the acting, stating "Fraser and Marshall invest their broadly written roles with remarkable depth, while Dunaway's fluttering pretensions to yenta-ism are singularly unconvincing".

[6] John J. O'Connor however was convinced the acting was very good, writing in The New York Times, "Mr. Fraser is especially outstanding as David, the dedicated outsider always willing to walk through the magic fire that might awaken another part of the soul.

[7] Historian Stephen Tropiano wrote in his book, The Prime Time Closet: A History of Gays and Lesbians on TV, that "this overwrought family drama is marred by serious overacting via the miscast Faye Dunaway and Garry Marshall as Jewish parents", but said Jennifer Beals was a "stand out performance".