Movie: Harvey

Ok, I realize I am really asking a lot out of you with this next movie recommendation. It's an old black-and-white that follows a man who happens to have a 6'8" tall rabbit as a friend. Oh, and he is invisible to everybody else. Wait! Don't go! What if I told you the guy the movie follows is Jimmy Stewart?!?! Yeah, thats right, the guy from It's a Wonderful Life! Is that enticing enough for you to at least hear me out? How about the fact that it is currently #157 in the Internet Movie Database's Top 250 movies? Please stay and find out about one of cinema's greats.

First the plot. I hate when movie reviewers spend four paragraphs describing the plot of the movie. So, I'll just give you the brief description that Yahoo! Movies gives:

Elwood is a good-natured, slightly sloshed man whose faithful companion is a 6-foot 3-1/2 inch rabbit that only he can see. When his sister Veta tries to have him committed, she's taken in instead. It's up to Elwood and Harvey to straighten out the mess.

Jimmy Stewart's Elwood P. Dowd is one of film's greatest characters. In fact, Stewart said that Elwood was the character he was most proud of. Not Jefferson Smith, not George Bailey, and certainly not Wylie Burp (American Tail: Fieval Goes West people, geez...). I challenge anyone to tell me they don't want to be a little like Elwood after watching this. Sure he's a loner and a little off at first glance, but dammit you can't help but like the guy. He's friendly to every single person he comes across, often giving them his card and inviting them to dine at his house. And his peculiar ways allows him to be more upfront with people than they are normally used to, always with positive results. He's that good.

Now having said all this, the movie does take some time to get used to. The first twenty minutes or so will be somewhat of a test. I blame this on culture over time. This film, if produced today, would be panned as too feel-good, unrealistic, etc. My best advice is to just ignore this, but you don't really have to do this. Why? Because James Stewart creates such a likeable character you cannot just write him off in such a way. At first, I found myself disturbed by how idealistic the movie was, but Stewart pulls you in. He's that good.


I had a friend say to me a couple of days ago that new movie plots seem to be a rarity these days. I agree, to some extent. The mainstream films that studios are pouring out week after week have a little bit of a hackneyed streak going on right now. My advice to him (and to you) is to go back. If you are sick of the ho-hum movies that have been coming out this year, rent that one movie classic that you never got around to watch. Believe me, you will feel so much more fulfilled than watching whatever came out on DVD this Tuesday (Scary Movie 4???) or whatever hits theaters this Friday (Snakes on a Plane???) It blows my mind how many people say they don't have that much time to watch movies, but when they do they watch crap like Final Destination 3, just because its the latest thing out.

Sorry for that little rant, but it has to with Harvey, I swear. Other than the feel-good the movie put me in afterwards ("I want be just like Elwood. I want to be friends with everyone."), I also found myself thinking how unique the plot was. There isn't anything quite like it. Now it is up to you whether or not that that is a good thing. My only fear is the inevitable remake that should be coming soon.

Pick up this great, great cinema treasure before you see a really crappy version of it will someone of the likes of Will Ferrell in a couple of years.

I hope you like...

Harvey