MasterChugs Theater: ‘Harold and Maude’

Love is in the air here at SG. Well, not really, as we tend to be more broke than flush with money, but we at least try to make an effort. Bryan McBournie loves a nice walk on a moonlit beach, and truthfully, we do enjoy the chocolates.

Okay, so it’s more of I definitely do, but if they’re connected to mint flavoring, then we’re through, you hear me? Anyways, all this month, we’ll be taking a look at some movies that have love as a theme, as we’ve done in previous years past, and along the way, we’ll be bringing back a much requested side feature. The first one up is Harold and Maude, a black comedy hailing from the long ago and far away year of 1971. Hit the jump to find out why you should watch it, especially during this month of looooove.

Harold Chasen is your typical disillusioned youth. His favorite past-time is tormenting his domineering mother with elaborate mock suicides and converting expensive Jaguars so they look like souped-up Hearses. Which is awesome. Well, Harold’s mother has decided that it’s time he did something with his life and assumed some responsibility. Mommy Dearest has decided it is time for Harold to get married. Prospective dates come and prospective dates go, usually screaming out of the house. But when he least expects it Harold does meet his perfect someone in the form of Maude. Harold meets Maude at a funeral and in the process of getting to know each other, Maude teaches Harold what it means to live. So Harold has decided he wants to marry Maude. The only problem being is that Maude turns 80 in a couple of days. That’s not too big of a problem, right? Right?

Screenwriter Colin Higgens would go on to bigger, more commercial successes but with Harold and Maude he would pen his edgiest, darkest material. With his classic set of outsiders, one at the beginning of life, not knowing how to love and one at the end of life hoping to love one more time, he would give birth to one of the most original screen couples ever created. His words ring with a true kind of sweetness and his situations flow with a sense of the natural, no small feat in a movie that is sometimes quite outrageous. Its a beautiful and well crafted screenplay.

The movie is helped in no small fashion by the direction of Hal Ashby. Ashby was no slouch in the filmmaking department, with his movies looking good and moving at a deliberate pace. His true gift though was with the way he handled his actors. Could anyone ever predict that Ruth Gordon gives a more rounded performance as Maude than in any of her previous roles? I think the answer to that question is a big no. Ashby had a wonderful talent for keeping his actors honest and drawing out the truth in their roles. His best films were never flashy, just warm, wonderful slices of life and character.

As the other half of the films romantic duo, Bud Cort is wonderful as Harold. He has such a childish glee in tormenting his mother and his potential brides with each faux suicide that he’s impossible not to like. He’s like a long lost puppy dog with the most expressive and sad eyes that when Maude actually gets him to smile, you’ll find yourself smiling with him. He is the center of the movie and his performance is the key to its success.

In support and as the mother from hell, Vivian Pickles is hysterical as the calm yet clueless Mrs. Chasen. While the character would be forgotten if played as a simple caricature, Pickles and Higgens make her truly care for Harold. It is her love and concern for her son that make the portrayal really work. Again nothing flashy just solid, well written, well directed and well acted work from seasoned professionals.

Rounding out the actors is Charles Tyner as Harold’s Uncle Victor. Part of Mrs. Chasen’s plan to make Harold into a man is to get him into the army. Uncle Victor is a one star general who is not only unpopular at the Pentagon (he thinks we need to keep fighting “good wars” like those with the Germans), but is also a bit of a loon. The plan that Harold and Maude come up with to keep Harold out of service is one of the highlights of the film.

See it for the subtle craftsmanship, the complex and satisfying characters, and the wonderful soundtrack by Cat Stevens that will make you an instant fan. But most of all, see it if you like outrageously morbid humor. I still laugh out loud at the creative methods Harold uses to scare off the computer dates. The scenes with Uncle Victor, who lost an arm in combat but has his uniform jacket rigged up so the empty sleeve can still render a salute, are priceless, as is the scheme Harold and Maude use to get Harold out of having to join the army, the scene in which they run away from the motorcycle cop-there really is a lot to it that deserves to be seen. It’s morbid without being emo. It’s a revelry of death, but more than that, at its core, it’s a celebration of life.

Will it seal the deal? Harold and Maude isn’t exactly a movie for the typical fratboy and sorority girl crowd. It’s quirky and not necessarily for the bible-thumping crowd. The laughs are subtle and slightly disturbing; the theme of love is not quite taboo, but nuanced and all-encompassing (at least, in the end). However, at its heart is an under-appreciated joy, and as long as your date can chuckle with the best of them, well, we won’t give the SeriousGuarantee, but there’s definitely a good chance that more than just your heart should get some appreciated joy.