Overview
A heartwarming musical journey through the struggles of an orphan in Victorian London.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- buoyant
- witty
- warm
- family movie night
- classic musical evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a lavish, unusually successful stage-musical adaptation with strong performances, production design, and broad audience appeal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Large-scale production design, choreography, and musical numbers give the Victorian story a glossy cinematic scale.
Oliver begins in a harsh orphanage and is drawn into Fagin's organized pickpocketing group.
Fagin trains and manages the boys as pickpockets while remaining one of the film's most entertaining figures.
The film presents nineteenth-century London through expressive sets, choreographed crowds, and stylized musical staging.
Films like Oliver!, and why
Annie
period literary adaptation with musical spectacle, orphaned youth, and social hardship
The Music Man
Dickensian social drama transformed into an accessible, lavish musical
The Wizard of Oz
classic family musical combining child protagonists, vivid choreography, and emotional uplift
David Copperfield
Victorian-era literary adaptation centered on poverty, crime, and memorable ensemble characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Carol Reed
- Release Date
- 1968-09-26
- Runtime
- 153 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (510)
Cast
- Ron Moody
- Shani Wallis
- Oliver Reed
- Harry Secombe
- Mark Lester
- Jack Wild
- Joseph O'Conor
- Peggy Mount
- Hylda Baker
- Megs Jenkins
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Oliver! about?
- An orphan's flight from a Victorian workhouse leads into a dazzling but dangerous London underworld of pickpockets, peril, and unforgettable song.
- What is Oliver! like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Oliver! as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Oliver! violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Oliver! as moderate.
- What did critics think of Oliver!?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a lavish, unusually successful stage-musical adaptation with strong performances, production design, and broad audience appeal.
- Which films are like Oliver!?
- Films with a similar feel include Annie, The Music Man, The Wizard of Oz, and David Copperfield.
- How long is Oliver!?
- Oliver! runs 153 minutes.
- Where can I watch Oliver!?
- In United States, Oliver! streams on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
