 Janet Maslin of "The New York Times" stated that "Mr. Columbus, who previously directed "Adventures in Baby-Sitting" and whose writing credits include "Gremlins" and "The Goonies," sets up this idea well but has no idea where to stop.He pushes the film's slender premise much too far, trying to work miraculous feats of self-improvement upon Johnny, his mother, Marie, and even Elvis himself.