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Harold and Maude

Harold and Maude

Comedy · Drama · Romance · 1971

A deadpan young man obsessed with death meets an eccentric septuagenarian who teaches him to live life to the fullest.

Movie details

Harold and Maude

“They were meant to be. But exactly what they were meant to be is not quite clear.”

1971 Comedy · Drama · Romance 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.6 / 10

Community rating

A deadpan young man obsessed with death meets an eccentric septuagenarian who teaches him to live life to the fullest.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Harold and Maude?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Hal Ashby

Written by

Colin Higgins

Ruth Gordon

Ruth Gordon

Maude

Bud Cort

Bud Cort

Harold

Vivian Pickles

Vivian Pickles

Mrs. Chasen

Cyril Cusack

Cyril Cusack

Glaucus

Charles Tyner

Charles Tyner

Uncle Victor

Ellen Geer

Ellen Geer

Sunshine Doré

Eric Christmas

Eric Christmas

Priest

Court is in session

Put Harold and Maude on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.