Harold And Maude Reviews

Older and better

A little dated now but Hal Ashby’s comedy about a maudlin young man and his relationship with a young-at-heart octagenarian is short, sweet and leaves you feeling a better person for having watched it.

Maude is irreverent, spontaneous and beautiful and Ruth Gordon does her full justice. In a lesser directors lap this story would come across as absurd and ridiculous. Hal Ashby, as ever, is simple and sly in his humour and is able to say a lot with very little. Some of the set pieces seem a little jaded after thirty years but others are hilarious, not least Maude’s encounter with the police. Cat Stevens provides a jaunty soundtrack. At an hour and twenty five minutes you could get two of these into a Lord of the Rings, about £100,000,000 in change and learn a lot more about life, war and love.

If you want to sing out, sing out!

Those of you familiar with the work of Hal Ashby (Being There, The Last Detail, Coming Home) will be aware that he was something of an idealist, a maverick director who brushed aside staid cinema conventions to produce intelligent, human scaled dramas. And in Harold & Maude he produced arguably one of his most creative pieces of work, weaving black comedy with social satire and in turn he created one of the most memorable on-screen romances ever to grace celluloid.

The clever script (I won?t go into detail because this would spoil the film) is accentuated by some top class acting and is accompanied by a fantastic Cat Steven?s soundtrack. However, not everyone will enjoy the dark comedy that?s on offer (suicide is a prevalent theme) and some may view it has being full of na?ve sentimentality. Though I can assure those of you seeking something original that you won?t be disappointed and who knows, a little of Hal?s idealism may rub off on you. 5 out of 5.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Really this is 4 and a half stars

One of the most unusual love stories that I've ever seen, as a young man (about 20) falls in love with a woman of 79. Although it may sound strange, the film explores quite well the how and why the two come to be how they are. Funny at times, the story focusses on two people who appear to be drawn to each other because they feel they are alike, yet when you start to get to know them, they aren't and it's wonderful to see how the chemistry between them brings us to that point. A real oddity of a film that skirts the darkest of humour but also the most positive aspects of being alive . If you like Wes Anderson films you'll love this and I think it's the kind of film that he hints at but hasn't quite reached yet. I loved it.

Mary was so right about this one

I seriously suspect this really is Cameron Diaz's favourite film as she rants incessantly about how good it really is in "There's Something about Mary". Not a cursory flick about love, this is the Holy Grail of reflection and thought. Hal Ashby might not figure comprehensively on the who's who scale in film but a few maestros prefer to go unnoticed. He's a genius and the movie says it all. Great camera work, splendid use of film variations, and performances are way beyond memorable. Personally, my favourite.

One of my favourite movies of all time...

Excellent 70's Black Comedy great performances all round, Soundtrack entirely by Cat Stevens, quite a sweet movie...

If you haven't seen this movie put it straight on your list, you won't be disapointed.

One man's meat?

Some people claim that this is the best movie they have ever seen, it changed their lives etc. I decided I had better things to do with my time, after seeing the first pointless ten minutes or so.

[Highly rated reviewer]

Cult crisis

Oh dear.... I don't like a cult film. My street cred is slipping to zero. But I have to admit it, I was bored and irritated by this pretentious little piece of cinema that nods to Harold Pinter without paying him any respect at all. The film begins promisingly with some rather nicely done fake suicides by the 18-year-old(?) Harold, who enjoys freaking out his long-suffering mother by staging hangings, amputations and immolations. But it deteriorates as soon as the 80 year old Maude is introduced as the 'love object'. I can't help it, but I find something rather stomach-churning about watching a cherubic, warbling octogenerian yodelling sugary-sweet Cat Stevens muzak with her arms Songs-of-Musically widespread. If it was good in the early seventies, it just hasn't stood the test of time and doesn't gel with today's cynicism.

Too much Cat Stevens music!

The soundtrack really spoils this film, I kept hitting the mute button whenever i heard yet another boring Cat Stevens song,

Classic 70's Cult

Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort give excellent performances in this tale of death obsessed characters which fall in love. The film starts off very comedic and switches gear mid way to become something deeper. This is the perfect movie if you like your films slightly off kilter. The team that wrote and directed this would later go on to do 'Nine to Five'. Cat Stevens music fits perfectly in this timeless piece. I highly recommend this film for anyone that likes their comedies a bit deeper than most. A real winner.

good film

I wasn't sure whether to go with 3 or 4 stars for this.. but after thinking it over I will go to 4. I'm not *quite* as enthusiastic about it as other viewers, but it is a good film. It was different when it was made, i'm sure.. and now, over 30 years later it still comes out with a very unique story and style.

Very bizarre characters, but they are played very well. The writer must have had quite a wild imagination to come up with something like this; and to make it work.

Is it uplifting? Well, for the most part it's quite depressing; yet with some subtly hilarious moments, usually when Harold fakes suicides whenever his mother sets him up on dates. Sometimes the words of wisdom from Maude seem a little to obvious; but it was 30 years ago.

The music, mostly by Cat Stevens is brilliant, some of the best music I have seen used in film.

Very good. See it.