Harold and Maude

Rating:
Summary: It is wonderful.
Review: Exceptional. I would rate it a 17 if I could. Nothing so sweet, yet so twisted have I ever seen. If you're looking for something to make you laugh, cry, and contemplate, this is it! END

Rating:
Summary: Harold loves Maude and Maude loves Harold
Review: Opening scene: a slow, dramatic, no....I can't tell you. Harold and Maude is one of the few movies where giving away the beginning (or in fact any part of it) can change your expectations. You really have to have an open mind to watch Harold and Maude. It's a cult classic; an esoteric film directed by Hal Ashby. With themes ranging from the serious (suicide, the draft) to lighthearted (suicide, the draft), Harold and Maude run the gamut of emotional situations. Just watch the movie, you'll see what I mean. You have never seen a movie like this one, nor are you likely to ever again. END

Rating:
Summary: bittersweetness of life
Review: Harold and Maude is an insightful, comedic and touching view of two individuals who are seemingly polar opposites. Ashby, the director, reminds the viewer that in death there is life and in life there is death and having a sense of humor is the best, if not the only antidote to both phenomena.

As many have mentioned, with a few dissenters, this is truly a wonderful film, full of irony and paradoxes. One falls in love with the characters and thus the film. Cat Stephens' haunting music provides a perfect soundscape to a film that will haunt
your memory for all time.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful surprise
Review: I first saw this movie a few years ago, and when my friends described it to me as a "cult classic", I thought that I would certainly hate it. However, instead, it is one of my favourite movies of all time. This year, when I was in Europe, it was on television at 1:10am, and i stayed up to watch it, even though the entire thing was dubbed in German.

This is a wacky film, and i think it is one of those that you either love or hate. Even after all these years, it is not a relic of some "flower power" or "hippie" era, but stands the test of time and touches on themes that are still relevant to people nowadays, such as taking time just to ENJOY life, and not being too caught up in all of society's rules.

The acting is superb; the music is gorgeous - it's Cat Stevens, and it really fits in with the tone and the message of this movie; and if you want something different but fun, Harold and Maude is really worth a try.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: To the "Viewer of Edmonton," a couple of the songs from Harold and Maude were on what is now an obscure vinyl album of the Best of Cat Stevens. For those who have not seen this movie, it's a strange, funny, dark comedy about a suicidal 20 year old full of despair and hopelessness, until he meets the 80-year old Maude who with her love of life and often reckless abandon, changes Harold's life forever. This is definitely a 70's classic that you will not easily forget. While it may seem like a silly little comedy, the underlying message and tone of the film will remain with you. The haunting songs of Cat Stevens throughout the film just add to its unforgettable charm.

Rating:
Summary: A movie worthy of both cult AND classic status.
Review: In one of THE original cult movies (4 years before ROCKY HORROR & 7 years before BLOODSUCKING FREAKS) Bud Cort plays 20 year old Harold, a young man who has a morbid fascination with death. For leisure he drives his long-suffering mother mad by enacting fake suicides to get attention such as "hanging" himself and "slashing" his throat and wrists, much to the chagrin of Harold's pompous mother who sends him to see a shrink. A true believer in the old "mother knows best" adage, she answers and fills out the questionaire for her son. So its not that surprising when we learn that Harold drives a hearse and for leisure he attends strangers' funerals.
However, one such funeral changes Harold's life forever. Its at one of these gatherings that he first meets Maude (Ruth Gordon), a 79 year old who is not your average crocheting, cookie baking Grandma. For leisure Maude likes to steal cars. And from here their friendship grows, with the eternally optimistic Maude encouraging Harold to embrace life instead of dwelling upon death. Their relationship soon blossoms into an unconventional, but true love; which again meets with mother's disapproval.
Written & Co-Produced by Colin Higgins, HAROLD AND MAUDE was unfairly overlooked on its initial release but over the years gained a strong following; and todays ranks as one of the very best black comedies/love stories ever made. Special highlights for me included Harold's efforts to escape being drafted into the army, and also Harold's hari-kiri "suicide" demonstration for one of the young women his mother has set him up with.
Both leads are excellent, especially Bud Cort; who was/is so convincing in his role that he found himself typecast for life- and some people really believed he was as "out there" as Harold in real life!! So poor old Bud was given the silver lining before the cloud! Hopefully one day some director will use his talents in the way he deserves. Ruth Gordon is hard to resist as Maude- she's probably the kind of Grandma every kid wishes they had.
Of course, the movie is also famous for the soundtrack by Cat Stevens which complements the film beautifully. If you haven't seen HAROLD AND MAUDE before then I strongly urge you to rent a copy. It's not for all tastes with its inconventional love story and its (often very) black humor; but this is one of those rare films that leaves you feeling alive and exhilarated after watching it and commands repeat viewings. Unless you're a P.C old prat who believes the "suicides" in the movie to be "injurious to the public good"(!!) and the idea of a 20 year old and an 80 year old being in love to be "immoral". (No prizes for guessing who I'm talking about). Maybe a little icky.
The DVD features aren't great, just a couple of different trailers for the film; but I can't recommend this movie highly enough. Put it on your must-see list. HAROLD AND MAUDE gets my seal of approval (Woop de doo, I hear you say) and despite being more than 30 years old it doesn't appear to have dated at all, and remains relevant today. Watch it and judge for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: Harold and Maude the Remake
Review: I was in tenth grade when this movie came out and must have seen it 5 times. Of course, the soundtrack was incredible and made the movie and really turned me on to Cat Stevens. Fast forward to 2005 and if you are up to date with the times today (2/05) with all the remakes they are doing, this one also should me remade.
How about Jack White and Loretta Lynn. They showed they had good chemistry on her last album and I would love them to be the new Harold and Maude.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding movie...especially during your teens
Review: The Cat Stevens soundtrack is incredible. The farcical Bud Cort is fabulous. If you love and miss your grandmother, and you have a little Goth in you, you'll love this movie. :)

Rating:
Summary: a love story like none you have ever seen.....
Review: HAROLD AND MAUDE is truly a cult classic, and, rightfully so! This is a film about learning to embrace life, find the joy in the little things, and not take a moment for granted. It is also a dark comedy about two misfits who find friendship and love in the company of one another.

Harold (Bud Cort), is best described as an "odd young man" with a constant preoccupation with death. He is constantly faking his own death to get the attention of his blase and inattentive mother (Vivian Pickles). Her response is often one of boredom, and wearily attempts to fix him up with women through a computer dating service. The wealthy young man spends his time attending the funerals of strangers, cruising around in his very own hearse. It's one fateful day that he has a chance encounter with the fiesty, plucky, flamboyantly irreverant Maude (Ruth Gordon). This woman is truly like no woman he could ever meet through the computer dating service. Together, they embark on a lifechanging friendship. She teaches him to embrace life, challenge authority and awakens his spirit to the world around him.

Although, this film was quite a scandal, when it came out, due in no small part to the depiction of a romantic relationship between a young man and a woman old enough to be his grandmother, don't judge the book by its cover. Truthfully, Maude has more life in her than women 1/3 her age, and Bud Cort's portrayal of Harold gives new meaning to the term "goth." Not only does the story have some priceless scenes (particularly, when Harold fakes his own death in front of the young women his mother attempts to set him up with), but it is touching and, ultimately heartwrenching. What's more, the soundtrack by Cat Stevens is fantastic! The real spirit of the movie is captured in his beautiful music.

Rating:
Summary: Love It - over and over again
Review: This is a movie that I always forget about, and then it pops up every couple of years. It's a timeless classic that just gets better with age.