The film was state-approved and had limitations in its production. Many conservative supporters of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia criticized the film for its appropriation of gluttony and the alleged support it shows for the heroines. In an era of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia, Vera Chytilová was "accused of nihilism" at the time of the release of this movie. The film was condemned to be unfit for the socialist ideas of the time. Banned by Czech authorities upon its release for "depicting the wanton".
At the time of production, neither Ivana Karbanová nor Jitka Cerhová were professional actresses, the former being a salesclerk and the latter a student. Co-writer Ester Krumbachová described the protagonists as "a pair of silly young girls but they could just as well have been two generals."
The film was positively received by Czech audiences and critics, and it was very well received in Europe. In the American press, the reception was mostly negative. One critic wrote of the Czechoslovak new wave: "Despite stifling restrictions, an intrepid generation of filmmakers continued to challenge Communist censorship by creating art that was provocative, satirical, and deeply critical of authoritarianism."
A visiting professor at Staffordshire University and author of The Czechoslovak New Wave, Peter Hames commented that the officials "objected primarily to its avant-garde form, the fact that the girls didn't provide a moral example, and they no doubt correctly saw it as an attack on establishment values."