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.
80
Time Out
Time Out
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.
75
TV Guide Magazine
TV Guide Magazine
Semi-Tough is periodically funny and frequently on target in its satire, and it boasts a strong performance from Reynolds.
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.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
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
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]