His performance, described by Janet Maslin in The New York Times as "desperately moving", was widely praised, though Downey has said that for him "the role was like the ghost of Christmas Future" since his drug habit resulted in his becoming an "exaggeration of the character" in real life.
Penampilannya, dijelaskan oleh Janet Maslin di The New York Times sebagai "sangat bergerak", secara luas dipuji, meskipun Downey mengatakan bahwa baginya "peran seperti hantu Natal Masa Depan" karena kebiasaan narkoba mengakibatkan nya menjadi "berlebihan dari karakter" dalam kehidupan nyata.