Harold and Maude
Synopsis
The young Harold lives in his own world of suicide-attempts and funeral visits to avoid the misery of his current family and home environment. Harold meets an 80-year-old woman named Maude who also lives in her own world yet one in which she is having the time of her life. When the two opposites meet they realize that their differences don’t matter and they become best friends and love each other.
Cast
Popular reviews
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Film 3 of the Adapted April Challenge
I am not labelling this a rewatch as I honestly could not remember much about this film as it had probably been 20 years since I had seen it last. And the only thing that is lingering in my mind now is: 'How could I forget?'
As far as love stories go this is perhaps one of the most original and intriguing ones ever conceived. I love how the bizarreness of the relationship does not exist within the film, but within the viewer. It is us who comment on the age difference, not the film itself. And in doing so it makes an endearing and bold statement about love and life. Both know…
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Harold and Maude makes it very hard to write anything about it as the reason it is such an affectionate and heartfelt little film lies in its simplicity. Two characters who could not possibly be more different, frankly polar opposites, one is an 18-year-old man obsessed with death and the other a 79 going on 80 year old woman obsessed with life, fall in love with each other. Through their relationship Maude teaches Harold how to live and let go of the things that are holding him back. The way I'm describing it sounds horribly pretentious but you'd be shocked to go into this film with that mindset as what you'd discover is a very humble and simple film sprinkled…
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Two complete opposites are brought together by a little thing called love.
This is a strange, dark, hilarious tale, and it's one that anyone who appreciates life should see. For all Harold's obsession with death, this movie really is about life. About experiencing life to the fullest. Going out there, having fun, and finding love. That's what life is all about. Love and fun. Do what makes you happy, make the people who make you happy happy, and fuck everything else. The bad things in life will come no matter what you do. The good things will only come if you go out there and find them.
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As a bit of a fanboy of the films of Wes Anderson, it was nice to see where his influence must have been born. If I was a betting man, I would say Harold and Maude is without doubt his favourite film. Hell, he even cast Bud Cort in A Life Aquatic.
And that soundtrack? Ahhh, that soundrack. I have never had any inclination or compulsion to listen to Cat Stevens, but this film blends his songs perfectly and I might just have to search for the soundtrack. In fact I will.
This was without doubt the funniest film I've seen for such a long time, and for me the best Rom-Com there has ever, and will ever be. And it may creep somewhere into my Top 10 of all time.
An absolute blinder. -
Installment in my Adapted April Challenge
Going into this viewing I had zero idea what this film was about. And, considering it is from 1971, I don't think I ever could've expected this.
The "be yourself" film has been done many times over but this is one of my favorites. It proves that you can create a film where the central message of the film is individuality and uniqueness without making a sappy, boring film. I really enjoyed this film's take on being who you are. It was funny and it was different. Disney & Pixar, take note. After being inundated with poor animated films that love this subject matter it is nice to see this; oddly enough, I had to…
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Review from my VOD column "This Week on Demand".
No matter how many I watch or how deep I dive, I never fail to be surprised by the staggering subversion displayed by the films of the New Hollywood movement. Hal Ashby’s almost obscenely dark 1971 comedy offers a satirical yet scabrous critique of contemporary society, its young protagonist’s unsettling obsession with death and mortality audaciously juxtaposed with the expectations and demands of his prudish mother. Harold is a marvellous creation, and one brought to the screen by Bud Cort with exceptional conviction. His romance with the elderly Maude is so deeply felt in Cort’s entrancing interaction with the inestimable Ruth Gordon that it seems positively ludicrous of their peers to…
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A beat masterpiece about a story of renewal and reduction.
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Genuinely funny, bittersweet comedy. I laughed, a alot. Which i wasn't expecting.
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Installment in my Adapted April Challenge
Going into this viewing I had zero idea what this film was about. And, considering it is from 1971, I don't think I ever could've expected this.
The "be yourself" film has been done many times over but this is one of my favorites. It proves that you can create a film where the central message of the film is individuality and uniqueness without making a sappy, boring film. I really enjoyed this film's take on being who you are. It was funny and it was different. Disney & Pixar, take note. After being inundated with poor animated films that love this subject matter it is nice to see this; oddly enough, I had to…
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Watched with the wife,who loved it. Great ending to a great day.
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Two complete opposites are brought together by a little thing called love.
This is a strange, dark, hilarious tale, and it's one that anyone who appreciates life should see. For all Harold's obsession with death, this movie really is about life. About experiencing life to the fullest. Going out there, having fun, and finding love. That's what life is all about. Love and fun. Do what makes you happy, make the people who make you happy happy, and fuck everything else. The bad things in life will come no matter what you do. The good things will only come if you go out there and find them.
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Cat Stevens Greatest Hits
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What!? Why would a little kid fall in love with an 80 year old lady!? Ew! She probably has cooties! Thats why we have hand sanitizer.
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Film 3 of the Adapted April Challenge
I am not labelling this a rewatch as I honestly could not remember much about this film as it had probably been 20 years since I had seen it last. And the only thing that is lingering in my mind now is: 'How could I forget?'
As far as love stories go this is perhaps one of the most original and intriguing ones ever conceived. I love how the bizarreness of the relationship does not exist within the film, but within the viewer. It is us who comment on the age difference, not the film itself. And in doing so it makes an endearing and bold statement about love and life. Both know…