Rating - 3 out of 5 stars
I didn't think I'd like this one so much, I'm not a big musical person, but this one was a little better than expected.
If you've ever read the Dickens book you know the basic story, but I'll go over the film story here briefly:
Oliver is a boy who lives in a boys' orphanage but after disobeying by asking for more food, is sold to a local mortician. There he proceeds to unfairly get in trouble and get locked in the basement. He escapes through some window bars that are loose and sets off for London.
Please sir, may I have some more?
Arriving in London, he meets a pickpocket boy who brings him to an old man who is basically the head of a network of boy pickpockets, and they all live together in a dingy abandoned building. They want to make Oliver a pickpocket too but Oliver is so naive he doesn't understand that they're up to no good. There's also a grown-up dangerous criminal named Bill Sykes and his nice girlfriend who have their own place but are connected to the pickpocket network as well, Bill Sykes being a master pickpocket and something of a role model for the boys.
You've got to pick a pocket or two
Trying to get Oliver in on their work, Oliver accidentally gets arrested for something the other boys did, but the rich man who accused him, after realising his mistake, takes pity on Oliver and brings him to live with him. But Bill Sykes doesn't like that now Oliver may now rat out the network and wants to steal him back before it's too late...
Who will buy this wonderful feeling?
The plotline, characters and acting are over-the-top and almost cartoonish as is sometimes the case in musicals. Not my style at all so I didn't really like that about it.
But the music - I liked it much better than expected! There's some really good songs in there - and that's coming from someone who generally doesn't like songs from musicals. I don't know their exact names, but "Food, Glorious Food", the "Pickpocket" song and the "Who Will Buy" song really stand out. Especially the grand "Who Will Buy". I loved the grand, sprawling number that seemed to actually be filmed outside and not in some fake-looking soundstage.
All in all, if you like musicals, give this one a look for the music but expect a cartoonish and predictable film.
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