hey have this same issue. i am trying to install adobe reader 7 on my debian etch system. but i am only assuming that i am missing the gtk toolkit. i installed from the tarball and updated my path statements. if i run acroread from a cli, i get the splash screen for the reader, but it just goes away with no error.
and yes i know that in the adobe reader readme file in the tarball, it does not list debian as a supported linux os, so maybe thats all it is, but i do get the splach screen
anyone have any ideas what packages i might be missing? i did a net etch install and installed xorg, kde, firefox and thats about it, maybe a game or two from testing.