Jake Coyle of Associated Press wrote: "Hopper, who handles humor well and has something of his father's roguishness, and Wasikowska, the fine young actress of Jane Eyre and In Treatment, are well matched. [...] Nevertheless, the material isn't up to Van Sant's abilities, and the impression of Restless is of a filmmaker playing with familiar themes". Film critic Leonard Maltin wrote: "Restless adds to my ever-growing admiration for Mia Wasikowska and provides a pleasant sense of discovery in seeing Dennis Hopper’s son acquit himself so well in a part that any actor would find challenging to put across." Liam Lacey of The Globe and Mail wrote that "Restless feels counterfeit in any scenes that deal with real matters of illness and death".
