The Entertainer

Village Voice by

The boredom of British film realism is indescribable. I was yawning, and turning around, and fidgeting--what an experience! [08 Dec 1960, p.11]

The New York Times by Bosley Crowther

It works out to a fascinating picture, for one reason because of its superior illustrative performance and, for another, because of its striking mise en scène.

Empire by David Parkinson

Olivier is truly remarkable in his portayal of the hammy actor, anti-hero Archie.

Boston Globe by Jay Carr

Certainly none of Olivier's other contemporary film characters matches Archie's resonances. We're lucky to still have The Entertainer. [04 Aug 1989, p.41]

The New Yorker by Pauline Kael

The film errs in many ways, and at times the editing seems glaringly poor, but Olivier's performance gives it venomous excitement.

Los Angeles Times by Peter Rainer

Tony Richardson’s 1960 The Entertainer, based on the John Osborne play, is a cultural event of the first importance.