Harvey
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Movie Reviews of Harvey
Movie Review: Hilarious, Charming Classic Film
Summary: 5 Stars
HARVEY is a well acted and very funny classic film. James Stewart is Elwood P. Dowd a nice looking, well off, friendly and polite man in his forties with a tendency to drink too much and one little oddity. Almost everywhere Elwood goes his dear friend,Harvey, a six foot three and a half inch invisible (to most people) rabbit goes with him. Elwood's snobbish older sister decides he and Harvey are ruining her and her husband hunting daughter's social life and tries to have him committed to a sanitarium and misunderstandings and hilarity ensue. James Stewart is very good as mild mannered Elwood and Josephine Hull is excellent playing his older sister the part she created on the Broadway stage. Jesse White who is immediately recognizable both from his long role as the lonely Maytag repairman and from many character parts on sitcoms is a scene stealer as a sanitarium employee and the whole film is excellently cast. The set and costumes are authentic looking and the "fashionable" older ladies' fussy hats, furs and hairstyles remind me of the way elderly women were still dressing for special occasions when I was a child growing up in the 60's and 70's. In the film Elwood states his mother always said you have to be either smart or pleasant and he recommends pleasant. I recommend this pleasant movie that is also quite smart.Movie Review: "Here's One of My Cards..."
Summary: 5 Stars
I haven't seen "Harvey" since it's VHS debut back in 1990. What's surprising is what a multi-layered film it is. On the surface it can be characterized as a screwball comedy about an iconoclast and his imaginary 6 foot 8 rabbit friend. Sure the film has scads of hilarity. What impressed me was it's sensitivity towards the mentally ill. Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) is a genial sort but it's apparent that he is most definitely delusional and probably alcoholic. 1950 was not exactly the most politically correct of times but Mary Chase's Pulitizer Prize winning play from which the film's script is based is unusally in tune with the problems that people with mental illness face and it does so with great subtlety. For that reason the film 58 years on does not date at all. Stewart gives one of his patented great performances, a turn that is at once understated and sympathetic. Josephine Hull deservingly won the Oscar for her work as Elwood's harried sister Veda, a role which in lesser hands could have bordered on the cliche. For sure "Harvey" is mainly a comedy but it transcends mere labeling. For that reason it is one the great American films of all time.Movie Review: Being pleasant above all things - even sanity
Summary: 5 Stars
A more whimsical movie would be hard to imagine, and it's a wonderful treat. James Stewart is Elwood P. Dowd, a man who hits the sauce and has foresaken reality, and who has an invisible 6-foot rabbit (a pooka) as his constant companion (his name is Harvey and we never see him, either). The "point" of the movie is summed up by Stewart: "My mother told me, 'In this world you have to be one of two things - smart or pleasant.' I've opted for pleasant." And pleasant he is: he's kind to everyone and everyone's his friend. His sister (Josephine Hull) tries to have him institutionalized, with disastrous/funny results.
There are many great scenes, beginning with the opening one: Stewart comes out of his house and is presented with a telegram by a Western Union man. He thanks the messenger profusely - and then tears up the telegram without even looking at it. Ah, to be so carefree! One is reminded for a brief second of the Marx Brothers and their brand of anarchy, but here it's just quiet, relatively harmless, madness and not a revolt. The ending is a little forced, but the movie is totally enjoyable. Definitely worth a watch.
Movie Review: Funny, Poignant, AND in Black and White
Summary: 5 Stars
This fine film is a great addition to the world of DVD, and it IS IN BLACK AND WHITE, NOT COLOR, as Amazon has it listed. I just received my copy from Amazon yesterday and to my surprise and relief it was in B&W original format. The 5 minute commentary by Jimmy Stewart in 1990 with video montage is a nice addition as well. The picture quality on the DVD is good, and of course, the movie is wonderful. I won't go on about the story line, as many other good reviews have already documented that aspect, but I would like to state that Harvey is definitely 6 foot 3 1/2 inches, as I just finished the movie less than 24 hours ago ("lets' just stick to the facts, now" !), although Stewart indicates that he felt he must have been 6'8" since he had to look up to him. Jimmy Stewart's subtle, thoughtful performance gives a surreal quality to a film that feels mostly like a well done stage play, but has an edge to it that is hard to describe and should be experienced by any movie lover or person interested in thinking about life, familiy, and one's view of reality. A must for the DVD collection.Movie Review: One of Jimmy Stewarts best movies
Summary: 5 Stars
I have loved this movie since I was a kid and kept meaning to buy it once DVD's were invented(yes I am OLD) anyhow, its a heartwarming and funny tale and its something the whole family can watch with no embarassment and though its an old black and white film movie( some of the best ones are) its timeless in its application of human reactions and life situations. Yes you can tell it was made long ago, and yet, it surprisingly is fresh and very focused on the human condition which never really changes. In the end, you are always wondering, did he exist? or was it just a mental aberration? I like that the film makers left that to it's audience. Its about a magical puka ( Harvey) a 6ft tall rabbit who accompanies a man of many complexities, though he seems simple, he is clearly deep and thoughtful. I only wish I knew someone like that and even if they did have questionable mental state, what a pleasant person to be around. Jimmy Stewart was a great actor and though gone, never forgotten, this was to me, clearly one of his best efforts. Get it and enjoy, I know I did.