Imbued with an infectious sense of humour (courtesy of Liza Minelli) marked by an underlying melancholia, 'Cabaret' is enjoyable if slightly convoluted at times.

A tragic story through the eyes of a night club singer/prostitute and her roommate. The musical performances punctuate the effects of the era on the all-too vulnerable characters. Still holds up after half-a-century and is a lesson for humanity.

All reviews will include some level of subjectivity. To think that movies can be measured objectively, as if there is a specific formula for success is crazy. Film is an art, not a science. Thus, although this is a critically acclaimed classic, listed in AFI's top 100, I personally did not care for it. Admittedly I'm typically not a huge musical fan. But with the exception of "Money makes the World go Around", I didn't find the songs very memorable. The movie isn't organized with the typical 3 act structure. Instead the plot juggles several different storylines that come in and out. They are anchored by the main characters, who are all pretty vain and selfish people. Beyond the main characters hanging out, there is a war going on. I didn't care for any time they cut back to the cabaret show, it felt like a waste of time. Likewise I didn't care about the scenes of our protagonists sitting around just talking, I found those scenes uninteresting. One of the main themes seem to be the importance of escapism in times of struggle. So far be it from me to take away other people's enjoyment of the film.

Had no idea what to expect, didn’t know what I was getting myself into. This just looked like a fun musical, it was enticing. Only until you watch the whole movie do you understand what you’ve been experiencing the entire time. Unease, tension, confusion, and it’s intentional. It starts hypnotic and ends eerie. Great direction, stellar performances, and, above all, an absolutely wild ride. Just watch it, even if you’re not into musicals. This is much more than a musical. It’s a slap in the face.

Too many good scenes to list. Rewatchable many time over.

The greatest musical ever made, and one of the best films ever made

If Grey or Minelli aren't onstage, it's a snoozefest.

One of the best movie musicals of all time.

Fosse guts the original musical, but not without good reason (in short, the cuts and changes make it all more cinematic). One of the few successful anti-musical musicals.

Absolutely the best musical ever. I must confess a personal preference: I like musical numbers performed where they make sense, not people all of a sudden breaking into song and dance in ridiculous places. Liza Minelli was at the same time brash, tender and vulnerable, made me want to protect her. And the scene at the beer park was one of the most powerful (and scary) that I've seen. I was not surprised to learn that neo-nazi groups have adopted it!

The club scenes are quite good, especially those with Joel Grey. The rest of the film seems like scenes in search of a story.

While the cast was solid, the film is not nearly as good as the stage version (particularly the 2021 London production directed by Rebecca Frecknall). The movie omits one of the best story lines and fails to build enough tension of the approaching Nazi regime. It also does not develop its characters as well.

Pretty good, it was kind of confusing and all over the place and didn't seem to have much of a plot or purpose. But among the great musical numbers and acts, superb acting, and having many funny moments, an overall awesome movie! I just feel that it could have been a little bit less confusing and more clear, and the plot/purpose could've been a lot stronger and precise. But other than that a great movie.

aged well. wow Liza has pipes. Michael York is young. very "edgy" even for a movie in 1972. appreciate that they acknowledge the Nazis were eliminating the communists, first.

A Musical that just feels entirely different from any other one I've seen, deals with some big issues from the time period and I feel like this is the kind of show that more you watch it the more you understand it (as at times I was little confused) but it has a fantastic cast. Overall, I'm very much enjoyed it and I'm super glad I watched it.

Stunning movie musical, one of the best ever made; based on the true story of young journalist Christopher Isherwood visiting Berlin right at the tail end of the Weimar Republic, and at the dawn of WW2; showing all the crazy forces at work in that society which eventually descends into Nazism and the Holocaust. All of the confusion in this society is juxtaposed with Isherwood's own sexual confusion; and how this plays out with his odd, on/again off/again relationship with Cabaret nightclub singer Sally Bowles. (And the kind of throuple that develops between Isherwood/Brian, Sally and Maximilian, a bisexual businessman from Berlin. It's really the first movie to depict a kind of three-way relationship like this). Liza Minelli's performance here is legendary; as is the Kander/Ebb score. Highly recommended.

This reviewer's choice for the best movie musical ever made. Fosse, Liza, Kander and Ebb achieve some kind of magic here; it's sensationally entertaining; beautifully performed; and (rare for a musical) profound and pretty dark. A must-see!

The main reason to watch Cabaret, and there are many reasons to watch, is the career-defining performance of Liza Minnelli. Minnelli plays Sally Bowles, an outwardly ambitious but inwardly insecure performer at Berlin's Kit Kat Klub. The film is set in 1931 at the onset of the Nazi movement, a stark contrast to the hedonistic entertainment provided in the burlesque theater. The film also has great performances from Marisa Berenson, Joel Grey and Michael York, as well as some fantastic musical numbers. The only downside is the sporadically inconsistent editing, many scenes consisting of needless quick cuts that disrupt the flow of the film. Otherwise, it a great film that needs to be seen.

I enjoyed the musical numbers, costumes and choreography wise and I thought Liza Minnelli gave a particularly good performance. Its obviously depicting a form of escapism while set in an especially bleak place given the time its set in (Germany, during the 1930s). The plot is interesting enough, so I'd say its worth a watch, if it interests you, yes, although its by no means all glitter and glamour based, as there are some dark-ish themes covered, not least due to the time its set in.

The acting in this is solid overall but Liza Minelli steals the show and gives one of the most electrifying performances I have ever seen. She is the reason this film is a All Time Classic Musical & All Time Greatest in general. She takes the solid acting and makes it phenomenal overall. The songs are the second highlight of this film there all memorable, never forgettable, and always tie in to what is happening. The Cinematography is excellent and changes from low key during story scenes and becomes very dynamic in the songs and it never feels out of place. The editing is also extremely well done also smoothly moving between song and story and vice versa. The only issue I had with this was the story while very interesting felt like it was underwhelming and I would have like to have seen the Nazis take a bigger focus although I get why it was done that way and it feels like it can lose focus sometimes in the middle and slow the otherwise well done pacing. But that isn't enough to detract from this film being an All Time Classic because of how well done every other aspect is.