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Sid and Nancy

Sid and Nancy

Love Kills.

1986112 minRMidcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Director
Alex Cox
Starring
Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Debby Bishop

January 1978. After their success in England, the punk rock band Sex Pistols venture out on their tour of the southern United States. Temperamental bassist Sid Vicious is forced by his band mates to travel without his troubled girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, who will meet him in New York. When the band breaks up and Sid begins his solo career in a hostile city, the turbulent couple definitely falls into the depths of drug addiction.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Sid and Nancy?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove does not list Sid and Nancy on any major US streaming service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Sid and Nancy?

Sid and Nancy earns 9 badges, led by Standout acting and Crowd Pleaser.

Show 1 more
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is Sid and Nancy worth watching?

Sid and Nancy's Midcredits score is the 81st percentile of all films, from 91K ratings across 6 sources. 71% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

81st percentile

Better received than 81% of films

69th percentile among Biography82nd percentile among 1980s
Acclaim (how much people like it)79th
Approval (how many liked it)80th

70 /100

79th percentile of all films

70th percentile among Biography82nd percentile among 1980s

Critics 76 · Audience 69

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.1 — solid but not unanimous.

71% liked it

80th percentile of all films

65th percentile among Biography81st percentile among 1980s
71% rated it 7–1029% rated it 1–6

Critics 87% · Audience 76%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 3 wins / 3 noms overall

  • NominatedBAFTA Awards· Best Make Up Artist

93rd percentile

91K ratings across platforms

84th percentile among Biography93rd percentile among 1980s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 2% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$4M
Opening weekend$51K
Domestic gross$2.8M
Worldwide gross$2.9M

Returned 0.7× its budget — 48th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree that the film offers a grim, unromanticized portrait of two deeply dysfunctional junkies, driven by powerful lead performances but marred by questionable accuracy.

Fans praised

  • Gary Oldman's transformative, feral portrayal
  • Unflinching, non-glamorizing depiction of addiction and squalor
  • Raw, authentic punk-era atmosphere and visual grit

Detractors panned

  • Historically inaccurate, dismissive of Sex Pistols' actual legacy
  • Nancy written as a one-note, annoyingly shrill caricature
  • Repetitive, aimless wallowing with no insight into characters

What stands out

Acting92

Oldman and Webb's immersive, physically transformative work

Atmosphere80

Immersive, fetid recreation of late-70s punk London and NYC

Sound and music65

Effective Sex Pistols covers and Joe Strummer's closing song

Emotional impactDivisive60

Polarizing: fans are moved, detractors feel disconnected

OriginalityDivisive60

Freshly anti-glamorous punk biopic, but reliant on familiar tropes

Plot and storyDivisive50

Loose, episodic narrative of co-dependent spiral

CharactersDivisive45

Abrasive, unsympathetic protagonists with little inner life shown

Pacing40

Bogged down by repetitive drug-use scenes in mid-section

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 4 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 4 points apart
  • Critics vs users 8 points apart
  • US vs non-US 4 points apart

Watch experience

What is Sid and Nancy like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Harrowing: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for a hard story that does not look away.

It is intense, takes its time and leaves you haunted. Skip it when you want an easy night or you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings and patience.

What it feels like

Harrowing.

Moods
TenseMelancholicDread
Heaviest: late
Dark humor
Register
Bleak · 8% of filmsBrutal · 7% of filmsTender · 13% of films
Told as
Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.Frame story · 5% of films: A story told inside another — someone is recounting it.
ToneThe film plays its material straight, with a raw, unflinching depiction of addiction and co-dependency, avoiding glamorization while retaining a strange tenderness.
The rideThe film maintains a pervasive sense of doom, with bursts of chaotic energy and tenderness, building toward a devastating conclusion.
StructureThe story opens in 1978 with Sid's arrest, then flashes back to a year earlier, creating a nonlinear structure that frames the tragic narrative with hindsight.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Haunted.

The answer rests on this: Haunting · 14% of filmsDevastating · 3% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film lingers as a stark, tragic portrait of love and addiction, leaving a profound sense of loss and unease.
How it ends · evidence
Tragic ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3% (this title)
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Crushed by fate: Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.

9% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe film follows the self-destructive spiral of Sid and Nancy, driven by addiction and external pressures, ending in tragedy. It loosely fits the tragedy archetype with elements of doomed love.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfObsession
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% (this title) · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3% (this title)
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% (this title) · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Self

Obsession · 3% of filmsAddiction · 1% of filmsRomantic love · 15% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores the consuming, destructive obsession between Sid and Nancy, amplified by heroin addiction and their desperate need for each other.
StanceThe film neither glorifies nor condemns its subjects, but questions the nature of their love and addiction, leaving the moral judgment open.

The world

Late 20th centuryUrbanDomesticRealistic
RockElectronicSupportive music · original score
SettingLate 1970s punk rock scene in London and the grimy Chelsea Hotel in New York.
MusicFeatures punk rock tracks and an original score that underscore the gritty, raw atmosphere.

Content guide

Is Sid and Nancy okay for kids?

R

Sid and Nancy is rated R. As of October 2, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (75/100), sexual content at moderate (58/100), language at severe (95/100), drug and alcohol content at severe (93/100) and frightening material at intense (64/100). Overall it is heavier than 94% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 8 other countries
  • Germany16
  • France12
  • Ireland18
  • Argentina16
  • FinlandK-18
  • ItalyVM18
  • Norway18
  • PortugalM/16
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 96% of all filmsHeavier than 94% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Intense
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 57%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 70%
Profanity
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 97%
Alcohol & Drugs
Severe
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 98%
Frightening / Intense
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 53%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Heavy almost across the board: language, drug and alcohol content, violence, and frightening material. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Sid and Nancy have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Sid and Nancy?

Cast

Gary Oldman
as Sid Vicious
Chloe Webb
as Nancy Spungen
David Hayman
as Malcolm
Debby Bishop
as Phoebe
Andrew Schofield
as John
Xander Berkeley
as Bowery Snax
Perry Benson
as Paul
Sandy Baron
as Hotelier - U.S.A.
Sy Richardson
as Methadone Caseworker
Edward Tudor-Pole
as Hotelier - U.K.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Sid and Nancy?

Movies like Sid and Nancy include Auto Focus (2002), Keep the Lights On (2012) and The Panic in Needle Park (1971). Of the 12 closest matches, most are stories of toxic codependency, and half are biopics.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

8 of these 12 share its subject: addiction. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Sid and Nancy?

2.8K other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: biopic. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.