Written by: John Osborne
Starring: Albert Finney, Susannah York, Hugh Griffith, Edith Evans, Joan Greenwood, Diane Cilento
Rating: [3.5/5]
The life of a bachelor with money in olden times nearly guarantees a way of living where one has the opportunity to indulge in nearly everything one could want. The person in question just has to choose the vice they would like to partake in whether it lies in gambling, collection of art, or in the case of Tom Jones lusting after women. Telling a fairly empty story, this feature still measures up because of the fun-loving nature and an entertaining character to follow.
Born out of a scandalous union, Tom Jones (Albert Finney) gets raised by the incredibly wealthy Squire Allworthy (George Devine). With the riches of his adopted father, he engages in many casual sexual relationships with women but seeks to have a committed relationship with Sophie Western (Susannah York). While she shares in the love, her father wants her to marry someone with more status and a better reputation than Jones.
Completely unserious and delightfully so, Tom Jones to this day still feels like an odd film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards but it still very much carries value in the story it wants to tell. With its silly tone and approach, the feature gazes upon an odd situation during this time with Tom Jones engaging in a level of promiscuity that men typically did engage with but did not want to outwardly admit. He definitely enjoys spending time with women and they feel the same way, finding him quite handsome, allowing him to engage in all of his desires. One would be remiss to think of the similarity this feature shares with Casanova and the idea of a man enjoying the casual enjoyment of sex but truly wanting to engage in monogamy when it comes down to one specific woman. They both defied modern convention and certainly built a reputation because of it. This feature takes a comedic approach to this story and certainly has fun with this character and what he represents.
Where Jones sits in this society does allow for an observation of what it means to be of a great family by name but not by birthright. During a time where lineage meant everything as advantageous marrying ran supreme on the fortune of family units, Jones sits as the son of a rich man but without the generosity of his adopted father would not have nearly the life he gets to live out here. This certainly does not hamper him when it comes to spending time with women, but certainly when he seeks to be taken seriously when trying to pursue Sophie in getting her hand in marriage. He must contend with the wishes of her father who wants more for her but in reality, more for himself and the legacy of his family. Jones certainly does not fit within the characteristics he would like to ascribe to a son-in-law making the formation of this unit one facing much difficulty.
With several fourth-wall breaks, this film enjoys poking fun at the situations it gets its protagonist in throughout this journey. From his time spent in jail to how he encounters certain individuals throughout the feature, it makes this tale something not to take seriously and gives us permission to just sit back and laugh at everything occurring. Much of the success in this comedy working as a whole must be attributed to Albert Finney and the charisma this role demands. Not only do we have to believe he could garner the attention of all of these women but also handles the comedic timing necessary and he does quite well here. Mostly experiencing the films much later in his life, going back to watch him when much younger demonstrates how he has adapted as an actor and could carry a film on his own. He heavily impacts the success of this feature through his performance as several other aspects hit some rocky waters.
Quite enjoyable as a slice of fun not requiring much dissection for its story, Tom Jones strives as a comedy bringing us into this time of nobility and honor only to spit on it through the actions of the titular character. We get this simple story but one just strong enough to get us from point A to B to let all of the silly hijinks entertain us along the way. Receiving a comedy Best Picture winner remains exceedingly rare when looking at the history of the award and having this feature serve as one of them never stops being hilarious to me. Definitely one of the weaker ones but the entertainment factor exists here.
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