ill-conceived family comedy that is more likely to stir up a headache than the imagination." On Metacritic it has a score of 25% based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Gene Siskel gave the film zero stars and said "This is easily one of the worst films I've ever seen." Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Margaret Lyons asked, "Is it supposed to be hilarious, or a really, really depressing story about the long-term effects of emotional abuse?" Leonard Maltin stated that "Phoebe Cates' appealing performance can't salvage this putrid mess...recommended only for people who think nose-picking is funny." Peter Freedman of the Radio Times called it a "largely uninteresting and unfunny comedy", adding: "It's a nice idea, but it falls between all available stools and ends up as a mess on the floor thanks to the poor execution. It's particularly irritating if you've seen the much better Harvey." Angie Errigo of Empire magazine wrote: "There is scarcely a laugh to be had unless you are six years old or immoderately fond of such wheezes as depositing dog poop on a white carpet." Writing for Mystical Movie Guide, Carl Schroeder wrote: "The imaginary friend is cavortingly rude for a reason; he served to push the girlchild to do mischief for attention and as a cry for help. Now grown up, the woman has forgotten and is about to lose her soul, so events call for some kind of literal return of her demon to force the exposure of her pain. This psychic crisis is poignantly realistic ... the creature who is visible only to the woman is like a poltergeist energy of her repressed self, a problematic ego container into which her powers of assertion and creativity were poured and stored." He went on to call the movie's resolution "startlingly beautiful." Writing for The Telegraph in 2021, Alexander Larman praised the film, calling it "a sophisticated and ahead-of-its-time black comic exploration of anxiety and depression." References External links 1990s black comedy films 1990s English-language films 1990s fantasy comedy films 1991 films 1991 independent films American black comedy films American fantasy comedy films American independent films British black comedy films British fantasy films British independent films Films about imaginary friends Films scored by Randy Edelman Films set in 1970 Films set in 1991 Films set in Minnesota Films shot in Minnesota Magic realism films New Line Cinema films PolyGram Filmed