Review of Harry and Tonto (1974) by Alec B — 08 Dec 2008

As bad as the rep for this film is (due to tying with Barry Fitzgerald in Going My Way for the most infamous acting Oscar received), Harry and Tonto holds up surprisingly well, and yes, it is mostly because of Art Carney's performance.

The film has your basic road trip plot that has a music-loving old man and his beloved cat encountering an old faith-healing Native American, a runaway teenage girl, a hitchhiker-banging prostitute, and others along the way.

Harry and Tonto's a good testament to travel and the potential education about one's era it could hold, but the lazy makeup on Carney and the simultaneously bizarre and eager-to-please score make the film feel dated.

Carney won his statue over the likes of Albert Finney (Murder on the Orient Express), Dustin Hoffman (Lenny), Jack Nicholson (Chinatown), and, inexcusably, Al Pacino (The Godfather, Part II). It's still no secret that he was the underdog of the race, but despite all of this, his performance is far from awful.

While most actors might have thrown away these lines in detest of its questionable quality, Carney is as faithful as can be to the odd habits and happenings of old Harry - frankly, it's sad that the man remembered best as an iconic sitcom sidekick will always be the underrated thespian he actually was.

A majority of Harry and Tonto doesn't work at all by today's standards, but it still remains a good acting showcase and a concrete reminder that even the politics of the Academy Awards are not always perfect.