text:  Writing in Variety , Todd McCarthy said the cast ensemble " could not be better " ; he praised Spacey 's " handling of <unk> , subtle sarcasm , and blunt talk " and the way he <unk> Lester with " genuine feeling " . Janet Maslin in The New York Times said Spacey was at his " <unk> and most agile " to date , and Roger <unk> of the Chicago Sun @-@ Times singled Spacey out for successfully portraying a man who " does <unk> and foolish things [ but who ] doesn 't <unk> himself " . Kevin Jackson of <unk> & Sound said Spacey impressed in ways distinct from his previous performances , the most satisfying aspect being his portrayal of " both <unk> and hero " . Writing in Film Quarterly , Gary <unk> praised the actors , but said that characters such as Carolyn and Col. <unk> were stereotypes . <unk> accused <unk> and Ball of identifying too readily with Jane and Ricky , saying the latter was their " fantasy figure " — a <unk> boy who 's an <unk> wealthy artist able to " finance [ his ] own projects " . <unk> said Angela was the most <unk> teenager , in particular with her " <unk> familiar " attempts to " live up to an unworthy image of herself " . Maslin agreed that some characters were unoriginal , but said their detailed <unk> made them memorable . Kenneth <unk> of the Los Angeles Times said the actors <unk> " <unk> " with what were difficult roles ; he called Spacey 's performance " the energy that drives the film " , saying the actor commanded audience involvement despite Lester not always being sympathetic . " Against considerable odds , we do like [ these characters ] , " <unk> concluded . 
  