 "Gay City News" felt that the adaptation compromised the "very literary" debut novel and criticized Foster's "cheap voice-over narration" for failing to add any dimension to what's happening on screen.Reviewer Gary M. Kramer was critical of the film for excising the character of Arthur, compressing the character of Phlox and for bringing supporting characters Jane and Cleveland into the foreground, and was critical of Sarsgaard's acting.The review concluded that the film "seems a victim of poor planning and bad timing" and was very distant from what he called "the excellent source novel."