Tommy

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2:15

Tommy

PG

1975

1h 51m

Musical

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

94 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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Martin Knelman

Globe and Mail

Oct 8, 2025

Russell smashes everything he touches, but there's no affirmation; he smashes because he enjoys destruction.

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Phil Strassberg

Arizona Republic

Apr 24, 2025

Not all the "arias" work, though all are given spectacular, kaleidoscopic production values under Russell's shrewd and resourceful direction.

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Charles Champlin

Los Angeles Times

Mar 19, 2025

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

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Frank Gagnard

Times-Picayune

Mar 30, 2026

Although "Tommy" suffers from excessive length, Russell's familiar theatrical excesses, and from the fact that it is five years too late, it contains some of his most striking work.

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Charles Brock

Florida Times-Union

Feb 3, 2026

Ken Russell tackles The Who's bestselling rock opera and comes up with a sense-assaulting, visually stunning movie.

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Lou Cedrone

Baltimore Sun

Oct 7, 2025

As imaginative and exciting as it is stunning.

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Tina

Mar 19, 2026

I saw this 50 years ago. Excellent sound and cinematography!

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Brian G

Mar 19, 2026

Powerful music is the best character in the film, right alongside Ann Margret. Tommy provides a strange combination of experiences: on one hand, it is mesmerizing, captivating, and compelling, full of moments and images that are iconic or disturbing--while on the other hand, it is drawn-out, far-fetched, and simply nonsensical. One thing is for certain, though: it is unforgettable.

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Patty E

Mar 19, 2026

I never liked the Champagne scene. Despite, the movie is a great piece of Rock History

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Liam G

@RT38448069 4 days ago

Wow… that’s a trippy one. Great music

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thiago S

@Thiagostone Jun 17, 2026

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Roy L.

@roylisi Jun 2, 2026

When viewing a Ken Russell film you have to expect cinematic excess. Russell takes the music of The Who and turns it into the intended opera, a panoply of parody and critique of cult of the individual. It is clearly the story of a man on the autism spectrum. Russell's technique is carried it out magnificently in relating this story of abuse and perhaps redemption. The narrative itself is one of excess: the murder of Tommy's father, the religous cult, the Acid Queen drug trip, the sadistic sitter, perverted uncle Ernie, and so on. Lurid colors, lavish sets, inspired casting all work to create and parody opera genre. Oliver Reed's dissipate stepfather punctuates all the tragic abuse. Ann Margret's smoulder condemns the male glance while passively accepting her fate, until she smashes the mirror that seems to entrap Tommy. The ending of the work comes directly from "We Won't Be Fooled Again!" While not great cinema, it still is one of the better cinematic productions of opera.

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Ken Russell

Director

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Tommy

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Tommy: Official Clip - See Me, Feel Me/Listening to You

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Tommy: Official Clip - Tina Turner - Acid Queen Full Song

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Tommy: Official Clip - Eric Clapton Sings Eyesight to the Blind

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Tommy: Official Clip - Elton John Sings Pinball Wizard

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Tommy: Official Clip - Ann-Margaret Sings Champagne

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Tommy: Official Clip - Jack Nicholson Sings Go to the Mirror

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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
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Mar 17, 2026
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 51m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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