---
title: "Tommy: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/tommy/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/tommy"
critics_score: 67
critics_reviews: 8
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."
---

# Tommy (1975): what the critics said

Critics' score 67 from 8 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative.

Most critics respond positively to Tommy, praising the energy of Ken Russell’s adaptation and the extravagant imagery he brings to The Who’s music. Praise clusters around the musical performances: Tina Turner’s Acid Queen and Elton John’s Pinball Wizard receive particular attention, while Ann-Margret gives the surreal proceedings an expressive human centre. The favourable reviews tend to accept the film’s excesses as part of its appeal, finding force and entertainment even where its construction is uneven.

The reservations concern overstuffing, inconsistency and a visual style that can overwhelm; The AV Club also finds the music dated-sounding. The spread is wide, though most reviews lean towards admiration rather than rejection. Penelope Gilliatt in The New Yorker supplies the sharpest dissent, arguing that the bombastic sound and imagery defeat the satire and leave a self-important commercial in its place.

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1974. 

The review finds Ken Russell’s film spectacular in nearly every way. It praises the visual dimension added to The Who’s album and singles out Tina Turner’s performance as especially forceful.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1974/film/reviews/tommy-1200423313/)

## The AV Club — Noel Murray

Rating B+. 1 September 2010. 

Murray finds the film powerful despite its excesses and dated-sounding music. He praises its ferocious musical performances and Russell’s visually extravagant set pieces.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/tommy-the-movie-1798165783)

## Little White Lies — BP Flanagan

Rating 3/4/4. 20 November 2019. 

The critic finds the film wildly entertaining but overstuffed and inconsistent, calling it a glorious monument to a bygone era. Ann-Margaret’s expressive performance is singled out for grounding its surreal, image-heavy proceedings.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/tommy-1975)

## Sight and Sound — Jonathan Rosenbaum

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2019. 

Rosenbaum finds the adaptation uneven but energetic, a fitting meeting of Russell’s theatrical sensibility and Townshend’s rock opera. He particularly praises Tina Turner’s Acid Queen sequence and Elton John’s lively Pinball Wizard number.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/tommy-archive-review-ken-russells-imaginative-rock-opera-pulses-with-energy)

## The Guardian — Derek Malcolm

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 March 1975. 

Malcolm finds the film an extraordinary, audacious blend of rock music and Russell’s visual style, though its excess may overwhelm some viewers. He especially praises the Pinball Wizard sequence and the energetic performances, singling out Ann-Margret’s baked-bean breakdown as unforgettable.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/mar/27/ken-russell-film-tommy-reviewed-the-who-1975)

## Time Out — GA

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

The available description presents Russell's film as formally undisciplined but significant. It praises his early break from realism's strictures.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/tommy)

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint could be verified.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tommy-1975)

## The New Yorker — Penelope Gilliatt

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 1975. 

Gilliatt condemns the film as a noisy, self-important commercial masquerading as satire. She particularly objects to its bombastic sound and imagery, which she says overwhelm any critical purpose.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1975/04/07/tommy)

---
© 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/tommy.md