Oliver Twist

Homeless little boy Oliver (Trench) abandoned at orphanage and during one meal he pleads : 'Please, Sir I want some more' . He's mistreated and the abused orphan escapes and befriends Artful Dodger (a scoundrel Elijah Wood) , a roguish pickpocket . Dodger introduces him into a band of youthful thieves commanded by Fagin (Richard Dreyfuss, also producer) in debt to the cruel Sikes (David O'Hara) . Then the young boy is forced into a life of thievery until his rescue by a good and kindly maid.

This is one of at least ten versions of the world-known novel , being an entertaining adaptation from Charles Dickens classic . Cool performance by Richard Dreyfuss as the great manipulator Fagin , though Elijah Wood at the height of his stardom , steals the show . It's made in a television style and shot in Ireland . The motion picture was professionally directed by Tony Bill , usual actor and occasionally director of cinema and TV films.

Other renditions about this popular story are the followings : The silent version with Jackie Coogan and Lon Chaney ; 1948 the classic film by David Lean with John Howard (Oliver) , Anthony Newley(Dodger) , Alec Guinness(Fagin), Sikes(Robert Newton) ; musical and Oscarized 1968 version by Carol Reed with Mark Lester (Oliver) , Jack Wild (Dodger), Ron Moody (Faguin), Oliver Reed (Sikes) and finally recent and lush version by Roman Polanski with Ben Kingsley (Fagin).

Just when you thought Disney had ruined enough classics, they pounce like a predator on the brilliant work of Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, and turns a great story into a cheap family/children's tale. Now, I haven't read the entire book, but I read much of it when I was younger, and what I remember was definitely much better than this cheap, made-for-TV Disney production. They changed the story very much around, and removed some of the more "inappropriate for younger viewers" details, which pretty much ruins the story, and reduces it to an immature retelling of a great Dickens story. The plot is decent, but it's so damn predictable and dull(not to mention different from the original) that only a child or someone with way too much free time and/or patience could enjoy it. The acting is decent at best, with one or two actors obviously trying to transcend the embarrassing level of acting, but failing miserably due to the awfully written material. The script is poorly written. The characters are badly written and often come off as cliché-ish stereotype versions of the people they're portraying. The dialog is poorly written. The humor is juvenile. Overall the film is a very childish and immature production, which I guess is supposed to represent the target audience. I've said it before and I'll say it again; Hollywood, listen up: a children's movie doesn't necessarily have to be a childish movie. There is a difference, and that difference is most commonly known under the term "level of quality". Even for a TV film this is bad. All in all, a decent Disney production, but if you want a good retelling of the story, look elsewhere. Or, even better, read the book. I hear it's excellent, but I can't remember much of it. I recommend this only to children, and only to children who are ignorant of the works of Dickens. Anyone else should avoid; unless, you have absolutely nothing better to do, you have to kill 90 minutes, and there are no good spots left on the walls to stare at. 5/10

I think that this is probably the worst version of Dicken's superb novel ever. I think people should definately give up on making new and "better" films of Oliver, as there are already enough terrible ones. In the first few scenes of being introduced to Fagin in this movie, all the characters pronounced his name wrong.. as if it were Fajin. I nearly burst into laughter at this, and even more so when gradually throughout the feature his name was changed to its correct sound.

Overall, I think the entire movie was a schamozzle. It did not revolve much around the book AT ALL.

This is a movie for the young-not showing too much of a classic that might scare them, helping them see that good will reign in this earth, and a really hot guy name Elijah Wood!!! Okay, I know, this movie might not even be all that good but I can't make a sound judgement because Elijah did so beautifully in this movie. It was-in my opinion-his best role. It shows the extent of his acting, and his heart that he pours into it.

The reference to the song from the musical version of Charles Dickens' classic is not gratuitous, because this Disney version owes as much to the film version of OLIVER! as it does to the novel. Maybe more, because very little of the novel's depiction of crippling poverty and horrific child abuse remains. Too much sugar coats these reprehensible characters and situations. Fagin is softened to some sort of gruff but lovable foster father, and Nancy is enobled as a hooker-with-a-heart of gold, not a pathetic, physically and mentally battered wretch. One would expect such a treatment from Disney, but the trivialization of poverty, child abuse, and crime does not do the story Dickens intended justice.