Review of Harold and Maude (1971) by Mike J — 30 Jun 2010

Harold: I haven't lived. I've died a few times.

An absurdest black comedy concerning two people, one young and one old, seemingly opposites of each other, of course making them attract. It certainly tries to find a balance between dark comedy and quirky love story, but you really have to invest yourself in the world of these lead characters to appreciate it.

Harold (Bud Cort) is a depressed, death-obsessed 20-year-old man/child who spends his free time attending funerals and pretending to commit suicide in front of his mother. At a funeral, Harold befriends Maude (Ruth Gordon), a 79-year-old woman who has a zest for life. She and Harold spend much time together during which she exposes him to the wonders and possibilities of life. After rejecting his mother's three attempts to set him up with a potential wife, and committing fake suicide in front of all of them, Harold announces that he is to be married to Maude. Further romantic adventures follow...all to the poppy tunes of Cat Stevens.

I mention Cat Stevens because its such an appropriate artist to fit into this film, him being one incredibly quirky guy himself. This film really tries hard to be quirky, with how deliberate it is in showing Harold annoy his mother, oppose to shock her, with his ridiculous fake suicides and then bringing in Maude as an elderly hippy. That's all well and good, but you just have to be ready to go on that ride.

I wasn't really ready. I sat back and found some enjoyment in what was happening, enough to recommend the film in fact, but for the most part Harold remained odd and bug eyed and Maude was just doing the over-the-top old lady thing. These aren't poorly acted by any means, just odd enough for me to take a step back.

Maude: A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they are not dead, really. They're just backing away from life. *Reach* out. Take a *chance*. Get *hurt* even. But play as well as you can. Go team, go! Give me an L. Give me an I. Give me a V. Give me an E. L-I-V-E. LIVE! Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room.