---
title: "Oliver!: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/oliver/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/oliver"
critics_score: 69
critics_reviews: 9
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Oliver! (1968): what the critics said

Critics' score 69 from 9 reviews: 8 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative.

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 1968. 

Reed's film is a treasure of universal entertainment that succeeds by focusing on compelling supporting characters like Fagin and the Artful Dodger rather than the less interesting Oliver. It is tastefully made with magnificent sets and strong performances, never stooping to cheap effects.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/oliver-1968)

## Radio Times — Tony Sloman

Rating 4/5. 

Ron Moody brings wit and magnificence to Fagin while Oliver Reed gives Bill Sikes dark menace. The film remains a strong child’s introduction to Dickens, buoyed by excellent supporting turns and justified Oscar wins for direction, sound and art direction.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ysuuuh/oliver/)

## Empire — Ian Nathan

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The critic praises the unforgettable songs, art direction, and standout performances by Oliver Reed and Ron Moody, but finds the film chirpy and slight compared to the darker David Lean adaptation, questioning its Best Picture Oscar win.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/oliver-review/)

## Los Angeles Times — Charles Champlin

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 1968. 

The bouncy charm comes from the villains stealing the show, with strong turns from Ron Moody's Fagin, Jack Wild's Dodger, and others. Reed and the production team transform the stage musical into a lavish, boisterous film that serves as an object lesson in the uses of the medium.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/story/2022-08-26/from-the-archives-movie-review-oliver-opens-on-screen-of-loews-beverly)

## The Guardian

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 September 1968. 

The first half leans heavily on Lionel Bart’s songs and theatrical set pieces, which sometimes feel overdone on screen despite strong direction and performances. The second half succeeds more fully as the music and drama fuse, especially in the operatic final scenes with striking camerawork and tension.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/sep/25/oliver-film-musical-review-1968)

## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 1968. 

Carol Reed has made a civilized, emotionally and craftily satisfying musical that treats Oliver Twist as a lyrical, macabre fable. It is easier to take than the 1948 non-musical version, with strong performances especially from Ron Moody as Fagin.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1968/12/14/the-concealed-art-of-carol-reed)

## The New York Times — Vincent Canby

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 December 1968. 

The film is an elaborate and faithful enlargement of the stage musical with marvelous sets evoking early 19th-century London. Reed's direction treats the story as a collection of set pieces, moving attention gently between big scenes while preserving a glowing innocence.

[Read the review](http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/oliver-re.html)

## Variety — Rich Gold

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 2 October 1968. 

Bart’s stage hit has been adroitly opened out by Reed into a bright, shiny, heartwarming musical with lively production numbers and catchy songs. It provides sparkling family entertainment with minor faults like occasional staginess but strong ensemble performances and visual spectacle.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1968/film/reviews/oliver-3-1200421734/)

## Sight and Sound

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 

The film’s mix of grim subject matter and jolly musical numbers creates an uneasy ambivalence that Carol Reed’s direction does not resolve. Strong production design and some winning performances are undermined by inconsistent tone, an overly amplified soundtrack and repetitive choreography.

[Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/features/ultimatefilm/chart/details.php?ranking=74)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/oliver.md