Joker N
A few things have to be remembered going into watching this movie :
The year it was made this was way ahead of it's time, the fact that it was made in the UK and not in the USA (Had it been shot in the USA perhaps the critics then would have given more merit) and the use of a majority of the cast were playing against their then stereo typical roles in theatre / TV and film.
With the above in mind it is a dark satire / a black comedy.
Those who say the gags don't pay off are obviously missing the point.
It's staggered, there are some points that drag, could it have been edited better? Maybe but the drugs were good back in those days...
The cast is a veritable who's who from both sides of the Atlantic.
End of the day if you watch this with an open mind and not just open eyes it follows the moral of the original story as written : Everyone has a price.
This mortal stands today as it did then and somehow rings more true in the 2020's than it did in the late 1960's.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
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Audience Member
Perhaps the grandest prank Sir Guy Grand ever pulled was to fool audiences into thinking that this brazenly irreverent satire of capitalist exploitation contains any coherent message or narrative—though the Badfinger soundtrack is terrific, and it is intermittently funny, with the auction sequence (and John Cleese) alone earning an extra half-star.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
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Audience Member
One of the best films on senseless greed and materialism
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
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delysid d
great movie that reminded me of bedazzled, every home should have one, magical mystery tour, casino royale, head, monty python
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
08/06/19
Full Review
Audience Member
The Magic Christian is a bizarre reflection of reality, and what we think of as normalcy in terms of our condition, then and now. It may seem outrageous and vulgar and surprising, and the film shocked many who saw it, and many walked out on it or thought it was just too absurd to be enjoyed for what it is: a social commentary on the social, political, and economic inequality of this world, and how money is truly the root of all evil, and that our morals and ethics are totally decayed by this artificial and intangible thing. It is at once bizarre and entertaining, full of cameos like Yul Brenner, Raquel Welch, Roman Polanski, John Cleese, Richard Attenborough, Graham Chapman, and Christopher Lee. Of course, Peter Sellers and Ringo Star are the stars of the film. It's a shame that this movie was not well received as what it is: a social commentary and critique of the modern world.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/22/23
Full Review
kevin w
Although this stars Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr it doesn't actually matter, as the two are only used as pop canvases to convey the message, one of the dominant themes of the 60's era, of youthful discontent with a world obsessed with money. Typical of the times as well is that there are no alternatives suggested either, simply the equivalent of an internet troll calling you "stupid!" and assuming a stance of superiority for having said that. All of this would be alright, mind you, if only the thing was funny, but its not. Sellers tries to inject some levity with the adoption of several different personas but the point is moot in the midst of this shitstorm of superior posturing. Starr replays his "lost boy" act from "Hard Day's Night" but has no where to go with it, nowhere at all. There are brief moments that contain a smile, but that's all you're gonna get out of this one. If there is any reason to see this at all, its for its look at the mood of the times.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
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