 Peter Hartlaub of the "San Francisco Chronicle" said the biopic "is like watching Charlie Brown keep trying, even after the 30th time Lucy has pulled the football away.It's hard to tell whether Kearns is being noble or stupid, and halfway through the movie, most sane people in the audience will be rooting for him to give up his fight".He continued, "Marc Abraham has made a movie much like the Will Smith-as-plucky-homeless-guy drama "The Pursuit of Happyness", where two hours of suffering may or may not lead to a single triumphant moment.