How others will see it. This cult classic is of greatest interest to rock and roll fans, who get cameo performances from Eric Clapton, Elton John, Tina Turner, and of course The Who themselves. Paul Nicholas, who plays sadistic Cousin Kevin, also had a pop hit in the U.S., although "Heaven on the 7th Floor" was awful enough to ensure his obscurity.
Fans of the classic 1969 rock album by the Who are likely to be disappointed, however. With the possible exception of Clapton's "Eyesight to the Blind," about every song in the soundtrack is inferior to the original version. This goes double for Elton John's manic interpretation of "Pinball Wizard," and Jack Nicholson's droll delivery in "Go to the Mirror Boy." Oliver Reed can't sing a note. Ann-Margaret's vocals are certainly emotive, but are they in fact too intense? Better to blame Pete Townshend, though, who replaces his own riveting guitar arrangements from the album with washy synthesizers on the soundtrack.
How I felt about it. But one can always play the 1969 Tommy album. How good is Tommy as a movie, rather than as a soundtrack? It's certainly colorful, and watchable, and it moves along briskly. All the dialogue is sung, a la The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. This is practically a necessity, since the length of the original double album is nearly that of the movie. The director could choose to omit many of the songs. While this would be practical, it would defeat the purpose of the film, which is to provide a dramatic visual interpretation of the clearly superior album.
There's no shortage of nonsense here. Thirteen-year-old Sally marries a midget guitarist with makeup like Frankenstein. Ann-Margaret rolls around the carpet deliriously, drenched in baked beans. Jack Nicholson and Ann-Margaret flirt outrageously while Oliver Reed, dressed up like a dandy, pretends not to notice. Minutes after his parents are murdered, Tommy/Roger Daltrey gleefully goes rock climbing.
But there are moments of insight. It's ironic that Ann-Margaret and Reed, who are to blame for their son's disabilities and have blood on their hands, are more concerned with the fate of Tommy's soul. How can he be saved? How can anyone? It's also nice that the scoundrel Reed does seem to care about his family, not only the hottie wife but also the afflicted stepchild.
But in the end, what we have here is a largely mediocre loud soundtrack and a collage of images that are hit or miss, although never boring. Tommy is a puzzle with pieces that don't fit, forced together into an interesting but partly ineffective pastiche.