Harold and Maude (1971)

If you want to say yes, say yes...

Upon its 1971 release, "Harold and Maude" died a quick commercial death & it didn't help its cause that most reviews were lousy at best; Variety wrote that it "has all the fun and gaiety of a burning orphanage." Variety (in 1971) couldn't find fun & gaiety even if it had a map.

"Harold and Maude" is dark, funny, & great. I won't give anything away, but I will say that subject matter includes love, death, suicide & lives not lived. "You gotta go get it, it's yer life go live it" so....by all means, crash the hearse. January 4, 2009

Harold and Maude

"Harold and Maude" is a romantic, darkly comic fantasy about two eccentric souls who briefly find in each other love and companionship. Young Harold is obsessed with death, attending funerals and staging suicide-themed vignettes starring none other than himself. Mother tries to cure him of his eccentricities by finding a computer date for him; Uncle feels the military will shape him up. A Freudian psychiatrist offers counsel as does a lecherous priest. All to no avail. Harold, pale and a little creased around the mouth, is a lonely young misfit.

Enter Maude, an eccentric old lady closing in on her eightieth birthday, lover of life, open to new experiences, not giving a darn what anyone thinks of her, not caring a fig for society's rules. She meets Harold when attending one of those funerals that both seem so fascinated by.

And the rest of the story makes up "Harold and Maude," a movie that seems to have been ridiculously panned by critics and certain audiences. From some of my reading, some are grossed out about the romantic feelings these two ultimately lonely souls have for one another; the sixty-year age difference seems to flummox people. Seeing an old New York Times review and then an old Ebert, and I think: why isn't there room for a film like this? What's with these jeers? This film is so hopeful and life-affirming. Love comes in all shapes and sizes. Maude's philosophy on life lifts Harold at a time when he is utterly lost. Harold affords Maude one last experience with love and communion. And when by chance he catches a glimpse of the tattoo on her forearm, it dawns on him what horrors this free-spirited old soul has experienced.

There is a lot of black comedy in this film, hilarious little scenes, and priceless performances by Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, and Vivian Pickles who plays Harold's mom. To me, it is a wonderful love story about an unlikely pair, two lost souls who find each other when they are most in need. December 1, 2008

"....otherwise, you got nothin' to talk about in the locker room"

I first saw this movie when I was about 14 years old (1979), back in the days when movie channels would play the same 2-3 movies over and over. I fell in love with it then and have been in love with it ever since. I even won a free ice cream cone at the Ben an Jerry's in Ithaca, NY when (in 2002) I was able to tell them the significance of Maude's tatoo. I have always told my friends that Harold and Maude is my favorite movie and that I think the best movie ever made was Life is Beautiful, by Roberto Bergnini. If you think about it, there are many parallels November 19, 2008

I can't believe I like it...I really like it.

I have no idea why I like this film. A part of me wants a shower after viewing this and the other part of me is such a sucker for romance...a BIG sucker. There is a teacher/student quality that's adorable and I'm not quite sure I'm feeling the ending...but I guess anything is better than the alternative. This film is definitely an acquired taste. November 17, 2008

The greatest cult classic of all time

I love this movie. It's in my top 5 ever. The sound track is great, and so are all the performances. October 30, 2008

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