Sweet Charity
1969 · Movie · G · 153 min · ★ 6.9 · 70% critics
A hopeful dance-hall hostess keeps believing in love despite repeated letdowns and a tough, seedy work life. When she meets a seemingly decent man who doesn’t know what she does for a living, she faces a risky choice: keep up the dream or be honest and possibly lose her chance at happiness.
Based on Nights of Cabiria
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Details
- Years
- 1969
- Release date
- 1969-02-25
- Language
- English
- Rated
- G
- Runtime
- 153 min
- Critic score
- 70/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (89 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a colorful, upbeat-leaning musical with big numbers and a tender, sometimes sad romantic streak; Not for you if you dislike long, very ’60s time-capsule vibes or a loose plot like Cabaret.
Pros: big, catchy songs; charismatic lead performance; memorable dance numbers | Cons: thin episodic story; uneven pacing; very dated style
Themes
- broken engagement
- charity
- based on play or musical
- celebrity
- tragic love
- dancehall girl
- based on movie
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Production Design · 1970 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Original Musical Score · 1970 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design · 1970 · nominated
Cast & crew
Shirley MacLaine
as Charity
John McMartin
as Oscar
Chita Rivera
as Nickie
Paula Kelly
as Helene
Ricardo Montalban
as Vittorio
Sammy Davis Jr.
as Big Daddy
Stubby Kaye
as Herman
Barbara Bouchet
as Ursula
Suzanne Charny
as Dancer
Alan Hewitt
as Nicholsby
Directed by Bob Fosse