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O Lucky Man!

O Lucky Man!

Comedy · Music · Fantasy · 1973

An ambitious coffee salesman has a series of improbable and ironic adventures seemingly designed to challenge his naive idealism.

Movie details

O Lucky Man!

“Smile while you’re makin’ it. Laugh while you’re takin’ it. Even though you’re fakin’ it. Nobody’s gonna know …”

1973 Comedy · Music · Fantasy 3h 4m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

An ambitious coffee salesman has a series of improbable and ironic adventures seemingly designed to challenge his naive idealism.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over O Lucky Man!?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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School Dance

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lindsay Anderson

Written by

David Sherwin · Malcolm McDowell

Malcolm McDowell

Malcolm McDowell

Michael Arnold Travis / Plantation Thief

Ralph Richardson

Ralph Richardson

Sir James Burgess / Monty

Rachel Roberts

Rachel Roberts

Gloria Rowe / Madame Paillard / Mrs. Richards

Arthur Lowe

Arthur Lowe

Mr. Duff / Charlie Johnson / Dr. Munda

Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren

Patricia / Casting Assistant

Graham Crowden

Graham Crowden

Stewart / Prof. Millar / Meths Drinker

Peter Jeffrey

Peter Jeffrey

Factory Chairman / Prison Governor

Court is in session

Put O Lucky Man! on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.