Harry and Tonto (1974)

It's sweet, but that's about it...

Let me start by being completely honest with you. Art Carney does a very fine job in the title role as Harry Coombes. He's effectively warm and tender in his scenes, layering the `at times rather annoying' Harry with enough human realness that he becomes a genuine person and not just a hollow caricature. That said, no matter how good he was, he was no where near the brilliance that was Al Pacino or Jack Nicholson. Honestly, how he was nominated let alone crowned the victor in the 1974 Oscar race is far beyond me to comprehend. It's madness to even suggest that this merely `good' performance is even on the same level as Pacino or Nicholson's masterclass work.

That said; I will do my best to review this film without any prejudice whatsoever.

Harry Coombes is a retired schoolteacher who has just recently been evicted from his apartment. He moves into his son's home along with his dear cat Tonto. When living under the rules of another grow tiresome for Harry he decides to up and leave, traveling cross-country with his cat to see his daughter. He has an eventful journey indeed, and in the end he seems to find a small part of himself he thought was lost forever.

It's a sweet story and it's told rather well, but in the end it is really nothing more than that; a sweet story. Carney does some nice work, keeping Harry believable (although at times rather ridiculous) despite his obnoxious tendencies. His refusal to conform to modern society is an outward statement about the fall of society in general, a world that has no respect for those who came before us. It's written well, although it could have been written better.

It reminds me a lot of `The Trip to Bountiful' except that movie actually managed to develop it's points rather soundly.

In the end the film is a good film that could have been a great one had the script been a little more intuitive. It seems that the film kind of carries a predictable calculated relaying of events. As `interesting' as some of Harry's encounters may seem, they never feel as `interesting' as we are to believe they are. They all feel rehearsed and even average; expected almost. When Harry is arrested for peeing on the outside wall of a building it doesn't have the tinge of fresh humor it was going for. It feels rather expected and kind of leaves a `been-there-done-that' feel in the back of your mouth. Carney elevates the film in areas and helps keep us interested, but in the end this movie does little more than entertain.

It's no where near and poignant as it wants to be.

So, with all prejudice aside I say that this is a B- kind of movie. It is sweet and adequately executed, but it is no where near the best in anything, and Carney, while effective, is not even nomination worthy here. There is a list of at least ten names that come before him for me, six of which weren't even nominated. December 15, 2008

The "Scene" that makes this movie

Yes, it is entertaining following Harry's cross country adventures - especially picking up the hooker in the desert on the way to Las Vegas...
But my favorite scene is the meeting between Harry (Carney) and "wheeler dealer" son (Larry Hageman) in Hageman's LA apartment. In reality the son is soon to be evicted for non-payment of rent. The interplay between the two is riveting - watching Hageman gradually crumble emotionally after failing to entice his father to share his apartment (mainly for financial reasons). Hageman finally has to disclose his true financial condition to his formerly proud father (Carney) after initially putting on a "big time" front driving a somewhat vintage Cadillac convertible and constantly discussing pending successful real estate sales "deals".

Great acting scene between two pros....it made the movie special for me.


June 22, 2008

Redefining Comedy!

The film is categorized as 'Comedy'. But what a comedy it is! It falls in the line of Charles Chaplin stories, but far more refined and subtle in treatment.
Do not want to repeat the story. Just would say, this movie should be categorized as one with sense of humor and poignant episodes. Beautiful movie!
I selected to watch for the cat, but found that the cat is just symbolic. Like a cat's life, even a man can have nine or may be more lives. Certainly we are not talking about biological life, but different lives with different emotions and phases. As the central character starts his journey to his last phase of life, he turns clock back from time to time, along with literally turning his watch back as he moves from East Coast of America to the West Coast, where the sun sets. As he goes, he experiences hilarious, pleasant episodes with a touch of melancholy.
Great experience to watch this marvelous movie.
May we say, it is redefining comedy! February 2, 2008

Travels With Harry and Tonto

Art Carney won the 1974 Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Harry Combes, a 72-year-old retired teacher who has lived his whole life in the Big Apple. He has neighbors, friends, family, good health, and a companion that he cherishes most in the world--his cat, Tonto. All things considered, he's living a pretty good life. But things are about to come tumbling down. Specifically, it's Harry's apartment that's coming down, as the city has plans to tear down his apartment building to make way for a parking lot. Literally carried out in his recliner kicking and shouting, Harry comes to live with the oldest of his three adult children and his family. But it's clear that the arrangement is not working out--his son's family appears to be having problems and Harry senses that he's a burden on them. So he then takes off to the Windy City to try living with his independent daughter (Ellen Burstyn, who, incidentally, won the year's Best Actress Oscar for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"). But that doesn't work out, either, as Harry and Shirley (the daughter in question) don't see eye to eye on anything. So he takes off once again (with his grandson and Ginger, a teenage hitch hiker Harry picks up, along for the ride) and heads for the west coast where his youngest one (Larry Hagman, four years after "I Dream of Jeannie" and four years before "Dallas") lives. By the time he gets to California, he realizes that he likes where he is and doesn't wish to go back home.

At first glance, "Harry and Tonto" is simply a movie about a man who travels the country with his pet cat. That's certainly true--Harry and Tonto go everywhere together, but it's about more than that. The movie is about people, specifically the ones Harry meets on his cross-country journey. There's the aforementioned Ginger, a 16-year-old hitch hiker who's just run away from home; Jacob, Harry's cynical Polish friend (who dies just before Harry leaves New York); Leroy, Harry's janitor friend who's having a hard time finding a job and still lives with his mother; the Bible-quoting hitch hiker who Harry picks up when he first meets Ginger; Jessie, Harry's ex-girlfriend (they dance together during a very touching scene); the vitamin salesperson whose health remedies have questionable cures; Stephanie, a prostitute who picks up Harry and shows him that he isn't too old to have sex; the elderly Native American shaman who cures Harry of his bursitis using an ancient chant (Harry meets him in jail after he's arrested for urinating in public); and a friendly woman with a large cat family who offers Harry use of her spare room after he arrives in L.A., plus all the other people in between. All together, they make Harry's journey--and life--interesting. This is exactly the kind of movie director Paul Mazursky made: interesting, because that's what life is when you meet many kinds of people. Without that, what would life be? October 12, 2007

Just A Man Named Harry and His Cat Named Tonto

"Harry & Tonto" is unlike any movie you are going to see. I know, people say that a lot, but this is one of the few times that statement is true. This movie was made in 1974, but it feels more fresh today then most of the movies released in 2002. Rarely is there a time when odd-ball comedies work, and even rarer are the times they work on a deeper level then you expect them to. "Harry & Tonto" is such a film that starts out as, of all things, a road trip movie, but ends with an examination of the human soul. The movie revolves around Harry Coombes (Art Carney in an Oscar winning role), a lonely man whose wife has died and children moved away. Harry lives a quiet life in his apartment with his best friend, an orange tabby cat named Tonto. This is the life Harry lives until he is forced out of his apartment, which is set to be torn down and turned into a parking lot.

Harry's son invites him to stay with his family, but a few days living with his sons family shows that they are crowded enough as it is. Sizing up the situation, Harry grabs Tonto and the two set out on a trip across the country. On bus, through hitchhiking, and even by foot, these two make their way from one town to another, not really sure where they will end up but determined to savor the journey. As you might expect, Harry runs into several eccentric people along his way, but they are not as stereotypical as they might sound. There's an Indian doctor, a hooker, a teenager who ran away from home, characters that are all ripe to be used as colorful cliches, and yet the movie gives these characters real feelings and real personalities. Harry talks with these people and gives them fatherly advice, while admitting that he's not sure whether his advice fits in with the world anymore.

In one brilliant scene, Harry is talking with a run away teenager. The teenager shares her problems and Harry muses "I guess I just don't know what it's like to be a teenager these days." The girl looks at him, looks out the window and replies "neither do I." I never expected a movie about an old man and his cat to be so deep in it's conversations. The acting is universally excellent. People discuss their hopes, dreams, and fears with such delegacy that you get to know them as people, not characters. One great conversation between Harry and his best friend involves both of them talking about their past, how much the world has changed, and how much do they really have left to live for. A few days later Harry's friend dies, and in Harry's face you can see that a piece of who he is has gone with him.

But this is not a downer of a movie by any means. In fact, this is a very uplifting movie in many regards. There are regrets in life, and there are things we are not proud of, but does life ever truly end? Getting thrown out of his apartment was the best thing to happen to Harry. That stupid lady at the airport who wouldn't let Tonto on the plane was also a blessing, because had the two flown to their destination then they would have missed the journey. As Harry makes this journey he discovers that even though he is 72 years old, there is still plenty of life out there to live and many sights to be seen. I guess I should make a note that Harry's relationship with Tonto is no mere gimmick, as there is a real bond there that comes with being together for many years. An uplifting film, a heartbreaking film, and a funny film, "Henry & Tonto" is one of a kind.

Rating: **** stars September 29, 2007

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