Review of Tom Jones (1963) by Leighton T — 03 Aug 2010

I simply do not understand the love for this film, but for whatever reason it won Best Picture at the Oscars. It's mixture of comedy and melodrama is more than just quirky, it's to the point of being irksome, for me.

I didn't feel like it once make me care about what was taking place. The acting is not bad though, Finney is actually pretty good in the title role, and though the energy to the story was absent in the first half, it did pick up the pace in the second.

But, the moments where multiple characters address the actual film audience though dialogue, a nod, a wink, etc, are in bad taste (& breaking the fourth wall, a film faux pas), even though I'm sure it was deemed "ahead of its time" then and the sped up scenes enhance nothing and are a horrible concoction to add to a period piece.

In the end, it was a bunch of nothing for me and I really don't think a Best Picture winner should make you question if there was incest within the film for one second, even if it is a comedy!