Harold and Maude (1971)

• Year: 1971
• Released: 20 Dec 1971
• Country: United States
• Adwords: Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award2 wins & 3 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067185/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harold_and_maude
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/harold-and-maude
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
• Runtime: 91 min
• Writer: Colin Higgins
• Director: Hal Ashby
• Cast: Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles
• Keywords: coming of age, cult film, suicide, dying and death, depression,

	7.9/10
	62/100
	86% – Critics
	93% – Audience

Harold and Maude Storyline

Young adult Harold Chasen, solitary and friendless by choice, is obsessed with death, this fascination manifesting itself in he staging his own fake suicides, driving a hearse and attending funerals, even of people he doesn’t know, all to the chagrin of his exasperated wealthy mother with whom he lives. Mrs. Chasen is determined for Harold to be “normal”, including her sending him into therapy to deal with his issues and finding him a girlfriend through a computer dating service. It is at a series of funerals that Harold meets Maude, on the cusp of her eightieth birthday, she who too attends funerals of strangers. Unlike Harold, Maude is obsessed with life – her own life to be more precise – she does whatever she wants to please herself, damned what others may think or how they may be affected. Since she can’t take material possessions with her, she is more interested in experiences, with whatever material possessions she has – often “borrowed” without asking – only to further those experiences. Their friendship is initially based on how the other can further their own priority. But as Maude shows Harold how to truly live, Harold falls in love with her. Their relationship, already limited in time by the sheer math, is curtailed even more as Maude shows him only not how to live well, but die well.

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Harold and Maude Movie Reviews

Sick, disgusting and a lot of fun!

I saw this movie many years ago and didn’t particularly like it. However, I just saw it again after more than 20 years and found I loved the film–maybe I was just too serious when I first saw the film! This is a very black comedy about a depressed and death-loving young man (Bud Cort) and a very strange old lady who befriends him (Ruth Gordon)–and boy does Cort need a friend! He is a rich young man who has a domineering and inept mother who barely notices him. As a result, Cort spends most of the first half of the movie faking suicides (some of them very bloody) to get her attention. In addition, he’s a necrophile (not the sexual type–ewwww!)–buying an old hearse and attending strangers’ funerals for fun. At one of these funerals, he’s approached by weird and wacky Gordon who takes a liking to him. She is almost completely crazy but also has a real joy for living and slowly Cort begins to loosen up and he falls in love with her–even though she is about 60 years his senior (ewwww)! There’s more to the plot than this and some hilarious moments (such as the talk with his uncle about joining the army), but I’d rather not spoil the film.

There are some very dark but very funny moments throughout, however the film also has a serious message that is, beneath all the death, quite life-affirming. Plus, it encouraged weird people (like myself) to continue not taking life so seriously and just enjoy. However, I am sure this movie isn’t for everyone’s taste. If you have an odd sense of humor and don’t mind an off-kilter film, then give it a try. There’s very little not to like–unless you dislike the music of Cat Stevens, which seems to permeate and dominate this film.

SPOILER ALERT–DON’T READ THE FOLLOWING: By the way, while many may NOT like the way the way the film ends, there are some reasons why I think it wasn’t a bad ending. I felt as if in order for Harold to go on with life and grow into a “normal” person, Maude felt she had to leave him and that was why she did what she did. Just a thought.

Still funny and moving after all these years

I had heard nothing but good things about Harold and Maude when I sat down to watch it. And I have to say after seeing it for myself, it is a wonderful film. It looks lovely with striking scenery and photography, and Cat Stevens’ soundtrack is highly memorable and adds to the emotion of every scene better than any movie I’ve viewed recently. The story is charming and heart-warming, Hal Ashby directs wonderfully, the pace is just right and Harold and Maude themselves are characters that still are in my head and also found myself empathising and identifying with them. The script also deserves a lot of credit, the black humour is very funny but it is also very poignant, I don’t think I have ever seen a movie that depicts a love that can blossom at any age so movingly and charmingly. Ruth Gordon and Bud Cort are both superb, and Vivian Pickles also makes an impression. Overall, funny and moving. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Ruth Gordon is magnificent

Harold (Bud Cort) is a peculiar guy obsessed with death and pranks his mother constantly. His snobbish mother can’t take him anymore. His psychologist is unhelpful. He meet Maude (Ruth Gordon) at a stranger’s funeral. She’s about to be 80 in a week. They become the best of friends. His mother keeps bringing over eligible bachelorettes but his strange behavior keeps running them off. So she decides to make him join the Army.

Ruth Gordon is magnificent. It’s as simple as that. She is utterly charming and it’s perfectly believable that Harold would fall for him. There are a couple really good laughs. The Cat Stevens soundtrack is great. This is a delight.