Pauline Kael

“…. [Y]ou know that Diane and Steve will battle any evil spirits to bring Carol Anne back. These parents love their kids so much that no harm can come to them. JoBeth Williams makes Diane a cool, jazzy mother, and you develop real affection and respect for … Craig T. Nelson as an actor….

“…. Zelda Rubensten … [is] so fresh a peformer that you want to applaud her exit line. It seems remarkably ungallant--and clumsy--of Spielberg to press on with plot developments that undercut the conviction she has brought to her role, which is about the only solid thing in the picture….

Pauline Kael
New Yorker, date?
Taking It All In, 352-353