Movie · 1975 · Drama, Music · 1h 51m · PG · English
Curator score: 4.9/10 (57K ratings)
Your senses will never be the same.
Overview
After a series of traumatic childhood events, a psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.9/10
IMDb: 6.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.55/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
Metacritic: 66
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
Ken Russell
Production
Robert Stigwood Organization, Hemdale
Cast
Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Eric Clapton, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Paul Nicholas, Jack Nicholson, Robert Powell, Pete Townshend, Tina Turner, Arthur Brown, Victoria Russell, Ben Aris, Mary Holland, Gary Rich, Dick Allan, Barry Winch, Eddie Stacey
Curator Review
Verdict
A wild, maximalist rock opera that turns trauma, religion, celebrity, and consumer culture into a fever dream of color, noise, and spectacle. It’s messy by design, but the visual invention and commitment to the bit make it a singular cult experience.
Best for
fans of flamboyant 1970s cinema
viewers who like rock operas and musical excess
people interested in cult films with strong visual design
audiences open to surreal, satirical storytelling
Skip if
you want a straightforward plot
you dislike camp or tonal whiplash
you prefer restrained realism
you’re not in the mood for abrasive, over-the-top musical filmmaking
Overview
Tommy is Ken Russell at his most unhinged and, for many viewers, most exhilarating. It takes a Who concept album and turns it into a barrage of pop-art imagery, religious iconography, and grotesque comedy, all while keeping a surprisingly serious thread about trauma, exploitation, and mass devotion.
Worth noting
The movie is often ridiculous, but rarely casual. Every set piece feels designed to overwhelm: the production design, the costumes, the performances, and the sheer volume of visual ideas are all operating at maximum intensity. That excess is the point, and if you meet it on its own terms, the film becomes a genuinely strange and memorable experience.
Bottom line
It won’t work for everyone, especially if you need narrative coherence or emotional subtlety. But as a piece of 1970s rock-movie spectacle, it’s bold, weird, and fiercely committed, with enough outrageous imagery to justify its cult reputation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
itscharlibb · 2433 likes
god tier production design. ann-margaret scene with the beans in the white bedroom is literally me at art school.
vi (4★) · 1390 likes
AND TOMMY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS
😜
👊/||\_
_/¯ ¯\_
HE DOESN'T KNOW WHO JESUS WAS, WHAT PRAYING IS
👋
\ 😳
|| \_
_/¯ ¯\_
kaitlyn (3★) · 1251 likes
the father: david byrne big suit
the son: kevin smith huge jorts
the holy spirit: elton john giant boots
Karsten (3.5★) · 1067 likes
One giant Oompa Loompa segment but that is by no means a bad thing