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Tommy

Play trailer Poster for Tommy PG Released Mar 19, 1975 1h 51m Musical Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 90 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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Tommy

Tommy

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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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Critics Reviews

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Phil Strassberg Arizona Republic Not all the "arias" work, though all are given spectacular, kaleidoscopic production values under Russell's shrewd and resourceful direction. Apr 24, 2025 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Tom Hutchinson Radio Times Stridency, both vocal and visual, is all, and Roger Daltrey's Tommy is flattened by the weight of celebrity (Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Jack Nicholson and Tina Turner), but it's still worth watching just for its reputation. Rated: 3/5 Aug 31, 2025 Full Review Boris Nelson Toledo Blade The purpose of all of this as entertainment escapes me completely. Aug 20, 2025 Full Review Belen Prieto Espinof Because while it may seem, at times, like a delirium straight out of a night of excess at Abbey Road, "Tommy" is also a unique cultural chronicle, a tale about music and exploitation disguised as spectacle. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4.5/5 Jun 24, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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john w The greatest rock opera of all time by the greatest band of all time . Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/14/25 Full Review Bob D Great as a vehicle to revisit a great album by The Who. Production seems cheaply shot and poorly acted, except for Ann-Margret, who is simply fantastic in every scene. In the 70's, I thought this was blasphemous. Now, it seems like a revelatory critique of westernized religiousness. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/17/25 Full Review Jim E Some of the acting was good. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 07/28/25 Full Review Audience M One of the best music films ever made! The Who is my favorite rock band and has been since I was 14 years old. classic rock fans need to see this film, it's one of the 70s greats! 5 stars! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/18/25 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Ken Russell

Director

Roger Daltrey

Tommy Walker

Ann-Margret

Nora Walker Hobbs

Oliver Reed

Frank Hobbs

Elton John

Pinball Wizard

Eric Clapton

Preacher

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Tommy

Tommy (1975) Tommy (1975) View more photos

Movie Info

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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