Hack reviewers like Roger Ebert and Peter Travers gave it the worst reviews. It's hard to figure out how much of that was because of the film's actual awfulness and how much was because the film was awful in a different way than films they've praised were awful.
According to Metacritic, the New York Post gave it the best review, and that was pretty lukewarm. Even the Wall Street Journal hated it.
The Fountainhead with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal was a passable film -- it wasn't awful or unwatchable -- but it also managed to be pretty leaden in places: too much the illustration of a thesis, rather than a portrayal of real life.
I would call it a decent film, worth going to see.
It’s hard to compare “Atlas Shrugged” with “The Fountainhead” because the movies are from different schools of film making.
I had goosebumps during some of the scenes in “Atlas Shrugged” that depicted the deal making between crony capitalists and government.
I think the general quality of “Atlas Shrugged” may be better than “The Fountainhead.” I freely admit it’s my opinion, however.