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Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

For the young public, a film with the versions of Elijah Wood and Bette Middler. absurde, hilarious, eccentric. in fact, one of the magnificent love stories. impressive, touching, sensitive, great. because it is a love story with life. a form of self discover, using the solitude, an unconventional friendship and the legacy of an old lady for who to live is more significant than to be. the fresh air of this film remains lovely each time. not surprising - it represents the key /note/originality defining it in profound sense. so, a masterpiece. because, for a part of its public, it represents the right answer to so many questions.

If someone offered me a chance to pick one movie that will be integrated in education I would definitely pick Harold and Maude. And that is an understatement in praising the movie itself. When talking about the movie, you get to wonder what to mention first, but I guess it's basic theme of life and death gets to be the main talking point. It is a wonderful metaphor for a constant struggle young people face everywhere, every day. And the subject is so basic and every-daily that it is fascinating how fresh the movie is even to this day. But also, it is worth the praise - Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort perfectly embodied the opposing sides. Without their charisma and the vibe between them the movie would never be as good as it really is. And in the end, you get to see how a piece of music (the whole soundtrack is done by Cat Stevens) can mold the moods of this movie - the scene where Harold is driving by a huge cemetery with the piano playing is truly touching.It is not on my list of movies to watch before you die, it is one of my movies to watch so you can truly live.

Several Cat Stevens songs appear in this film which were never released on an album until Stevens' greatest hits albums. The song, arguably debuted by Ruth Gordon about midway, carries the message of the film: "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out". Harold (Bud Cort), the only child of a filthy-rich family, a disturbed college-age youth engages in black-humor episodes: he fakes committing suicide. As the film progresses his suicides become more elaborate, beginning with hanging, but then moving onto drowning and shooting himself. His second "suicide" is so gruesome, his single mother doesn't know what to do with him, so she hires a psychologist who becomes as flustered with Harold as his mother.For fun, Harold buys a used Hearse and attends funerals of people he doesn't know. There he notices Maude (Ruth Gordon), an older woman with the spunk of a 25-year-old. She also likes to attend funerals but she has other habits as well. She likes to steal cars, not the least of which is a Volkswagon Bug driven by the priest at a couple of the funerals. She then starts driving Harold's Hearse after one of the funerals and offers to give Harold a ride home. He explains the Hearse is his car to which Maude replies "Then you should give me a ride home." And so begins a rather quirky relationship between a reclusive youth and an older woman who could make Madonna seem like a fuddy-duddy. At one point she even one-up's a motorcycle cop played by Tom Skerritt.The most insufferable character of the film is neither Harold nor Maude but Harold's mother. Mrs. Chasen (Vivian Pickles) never engages with her son except to be outraged at his suicide episodes. More often she knows what he's up to and simply speaks with him normally when he appears to be "dead". What makes her insufferable is her detachment from him. She decides Harold needs to meet women and she signs him up for a computer dating service. She fills out the questionnaires and chooses the women without his input. At several of the meetings with the "prospects", Harold yet again engages in his "suicides", often with horrific consternation on the part of the dating prospect.Although definitely not for all tastes, "Harold and Maude" has become a cult classic. While there's not really a "plot" per se but more of a character study, themes of death and life permeate the entire story. At film's beginning, we learn that Harold seems to be going through life on autopilot except for his suicide episodes. Because of his interest in funerals, he seems preoccupied by "death". The origin of this compulsion is finally revealed to Maude about 2/3rds through the film. On the other side, Maude is a free spirit and Harold learns that he may need to take risks to enjoy life fully. While I wouldn't recommend trying to outdo a motorcycle cop, the point of Maude's behavior is that we often spend too much time worrying about the approval or disapproval of others instead of just doing those things that let us "be free" as the song goes. In other words, death is the price we pay for living life.

Hal Hashby's masterpiece, Harold and Maude is one of the best movies ever made. It would never have gotten approval in our dark 21st century.Filmed mostly in northern California, the cinematography really captures the 70's. Amazing script by Colin Higgins who sadly died young. Fantastic performances by all especially Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Charles Tyner and Vivian Pickles. Wonderful set design that evokes the 70's and earlier decades (Maude's home is full of character and memorabilia.)The film touches on so many subjects (being a misfit, youth, old age, war, politics, life and death) but for me the main theme is to enjoy life - even the bad stuff. That life is worth living. And that maybe for some of us the only way to understand the precious joy of life is to engage with those who are closer to death.Probably the finest soundtrack of any film entirely by Cat Stevens.