Tommy

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Tommy

PG

Released Mar 19, 1975

1h 51m

Musical

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Popcornmeter

71%

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86 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

After seeing his stepfather murder his father during an argument over his mother, young Tommy goes into shock, suddenly becoming psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind. As a teenager, Tommy stumbles upon a pinball machine and discovers he is a natural prodigy at the game. Fame and fortune follow for Tommy, as he becomes a pinball champion and later the messiah of a religious cult, which views his pinball skills as a miraculous sign of divine intervention.

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Critics Consensus

Tommy is as erratic and propulsive as a game of pinball, incorporating The Who's songs into an irreverent odyssey with the visual imagination that only director Ken Russell can conjure.

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Charles Champlin

Los Angeles Times

"Tommy" is an overwhelming, thunderous, almost continuously astonishing achievement, coherent and consistent from first frames to last.

Mar 19, 2025

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Robert Hilburn

Los Angeles Times

The critical issue surrounding "Tommy" is whether Russell has produced a failed monument or a monumental failure.

Mar 19, 2025

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David Wilson

Sight & Sound

Intermittently inventive, always lively, it remains a series of separate units linked only by a disparate if vigorous style.

Mar 19, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Like other rock movies working from musical cues, Tommy is naturally more adept at stirring the senses through psychedelia than at telling a strong story.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 27, 2025

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Frances Taylor

Newhouse News Service

Despite fine performances by Ann Margret and Oliver Reed, "Tommy" doesn't entertain.

Mar 20, 2025

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Jonathan Takiff

Philadelphia Daily News

Ken Russel's frantic directorial style... provides just the sort of total sensory bombardment which rock concert fans have learned to demand.

Mar 19, 2025

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Tara J

Brilliant and underrated. While some people will not understand the symbolism or the technique embodied in this movie, it has stood the test of time. I wish more movies like this was made and people really appreciated the depths of a rock symphony!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

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Stefano L

Despite its excruciatingly exhausting length and excruciatingly dated music (as well as excruciatingly dubious on screen singing talents), Tommy is a Humanistic epic masterpiece transcending fictional biography and entering the primal realm of myth, symbol, dream, and ancient archetype. Incredibly inventive and exacting in its details, Tommy is a sprawling Baroque work of art that never loses its heart or head amid its own twisting maze - and circles itself with robustly satisfying symmetry. Ken Russell managed to invent music videos before music videos. Where other classic musicals present one or two iconic camera shots, Russell serves up literally dozens, with surprise after surprise set up. This fundamentally spiritual tale, like it or not, will easily stand the test of the ages.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/25

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CodyZamboni Z

I love The Who, but this silly , overlong, tiresome, repetitive annoying borefest was a major miscalculation, Ken Russell provides some clever visuals, But lots of guest stars are wasted, The few bright spots are Elton John as the Pinball Wizard, and Ann-Margret, who puts it out there, in a committed performance.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/01/24

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nick s

The acting was very stagey so I wasn't drawn into the magic for a moment. Also the camera work was rather lifeless for the trippy musical they were trying to present. But it was a huge effort for a rock group. Remarkable set pieces. Kudos for trying something so ambitious.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/19/24

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Catherine L

Pure 70s extravaganza, eccentric, crazy with a great cast and a rollercoaster of a scenario. It's an experience, let yourself roll with it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/05/24

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Shioka O

It's an important piece of work in the rock history. Also a cult. Maybe look dated for now, but definitely enjoyable because it has lots of iconic figures and the music is unarguably great made by The Who. Though I personally prefer their original album than the soundtrack.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/19/22

Full Review

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Synopsis

After seeing his stepfather murder his father during an argument over his mother, young Tommy goes into shock, suddenly becoming psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind. As a teenager, Tommy stumbles upon a pinball machine and discovers he is a natural prodigy at the game. Fame and fortune follow for Tommy, as he becomes a pinball champion and later the messiah of a religious cult, which views his pinball skills as a miraculous sign of divine intervention.

Director: Ken Russell
Producer: Robert Stigwood, Ken Russell
Screenwriter: Ken Russell
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Hemdale Film Corporation [us]
Rating: PG
Genre: Musical
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 19, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround

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