Semi-Tough
United Artists | Release Date: November 18, 1977 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
68
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews
Positive:
5
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The New York TimesVincent Canby
A funny film that is as much satire as parody, as much about our time as it is about some of our more bizarre culture heroes. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Schickel
Semi-Tough may or may not turn out to be the year's best comedy—there's Annie Hall to remember and Mel Brooks yet to be heard from—but it is without a doubt the year's most socially useful film. Read full review
80
Time OutStaff (Not Credited)
Though not as sharp or as unusual as Ritchie's earlier Smile, this is still a delightful, gentle satire on the American ideal of winning, which also takes broad but often hilarious swipes at fashionable health fads. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Semi-Tough is periodically funny and frequently on target in its satire, and it boasts a strong performance from Reynolds. Read full review
75
Washington PostGary Arnold
Well supplied with both raunchy humor and star appeal, particularly in the person of Burt Reynolds, the film seems certain to become a crowd-pleaser. Read full review
50
VarietyStaff (Not Credited)
Semi-Tough begins as a bawdy and lively romantic comedy about slap happy pro football players, then slows down to a too-inside putdown of contemporary self-help programs. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Robert Martin
Although Ritchie has blown Semi-Tough as a film, many individual moments are very funny and worthy of praise. [18 Nov 1977]
50
NewsweekDavid Ansen
With such a broad satirical target, it's a shame that Ritchie's aim goes awry. Because Semi-Tough covers fresh territory, you keep rooting for it to connect. [28 Nov 1977, p.98]
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