Oliver Twist

Right now you can watch Oliver Twist in the US on fuboTV and HBO Max Amazon Channel, and in the UK on ITVX Premium — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 258 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. John Howard Davies sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight on fuboTV and see for yourself.

There is a reason Oliver Twist keeps coming up in conversation. Sharp writing and a well-matched ensemble are what separate Oliver Twist from the crowd. When 9-year-old orphan Oliver Twist dares to ask his cruel taskmaster, Mr. Bumble, for a second serving of gruel, he's hired out as an apprentice. Escaping that dismal fate, young Oliver falls in with the street urchin known as the Artful Dodger and his criminal mentor, Fagin. The chemistry John Howard Davies and Robert Newton bring to it does a lot of the heavy lifting. It hit screens in 1948. What keeps Oliver Twist from feeling disposable is a cast that clearly understands the material better than the format usually demands. The hit rate here is high enough that skipping ahead never feels like an option.

Oliver Twist is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. John Howard Davies is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.