Writing for "Variety", David Stratton wrote a negative review of the film upon its release at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival when it was searching for a distributor. Stratton wrote, "An attractive and intriguing premise is given disappointingly mundane treatment in "Auggie Rose", which starts strongly but falters badly in the later going. Names of Jeff Goldblum and Anne Heche probably won't be enough to drag a significant amount of theatrical coin out of this one, but vidbin sales are more promising." However, another "Variety" reviewer, Dennis Harvey, gave a positive review a year later following the film's limited theatrical release. Harvey wrote that the film could have potential as a sleeper hit, praising Goldblum's performance in particular: "The most entertaining deer-caught-in-the-headlights eyes in showbiz are well deployed here, as Goldblum's customary air of distracted eccentricity lays bare protag's simultaneous bewilderment and pleasure at assuming another man's identity. It's a lovely, mercurial yet focused perf."