Sweet Charity

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Sweet Charity

G,

1969,

2h 34m,

Musical

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82%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

5,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Charity Hope Valentine (Shirley MacLaine) always tries to look on the bright side of life, despite working in a rundown dance hall and contending with a seemingly endless run of bad dates. Determined to find love, Charity falls for suave actor Vittorio Vidal (Ricardo Montalban), but their romance is all too brief. However, when Charity finds herself stuck in an elevator with the reserved Oscar Lindquist (John McMartin), it turns out that she may have finally met her match.

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Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

Jul 20, 2023

While it is no match for Cabaret, the inimitable Fosse flourish adorns a handful of first-rate musical numbers.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Jun 30, 2008

MacLaine’s unique talents as a comic tragedienne are set off to maximum impact.

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

May 9, 2005

In the manner of so many adaptations of hit shows, it recalls the stage production with a certain affection, but without any sense of what made it a hit and potentially valuable movie material.

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Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

May 28, 2026

overall I liked it- particularly for the Bob Fosse dance numbers.

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Brian Viner

Daily Mail (UK)

Jul 14, 2023

It’s thoroughly dated, but that’s part of its enduring charm — as is Shirley MacLaine!

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Chase Burns

The Stranger (Seattle, WA)

Jan 5, 2022

While the film can drag, the musical numbers are still so sweet and bold and genre-defining that I found myself tearing up during this rewatch.

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Harry S

May 11, 2017

Shirley is a wonderful actress, but she mugs her way through this embarrassing bore. Worst of all, she is no singer. Listening to her try to sing in her cutesy character manner makes your ears bleed. Only an occasional Fosse moment gives this flop a star.

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Bob Fosse

Director

Shirley MacLaine

Charity Hope Valentine

John McMartin

Oscar

Ricardo Montalban

Vittorio

Sammy Davis Jr.

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Synopsis

Charity Hope Valentine (Shirley MacLaine) always tries to look on the bright side of life, despite working in a rundown dance hall and contending with a seemingly endless run of bad dates. Determined to find love, Charity falls for suave actor Vittorio Vidal (Ricardo Montalban), but their romance is all too brief. However, when Charity finds herself stuck in an elevator with the reserved Oscar Lindquist (John McMartin), it turns out that she may have finally met her match.

Director: Bob Fosse
Producer: Robert Arthur
Screenwriter: Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Neil Simon, Peter Stone
Distributor: Universal Pictures, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: G
Genre: Musical
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 1, 1969, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 4, 2021
Runtime: 2h 34m
Sound Mix: Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, Mono

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