Harry & Son (1984)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Paul Newman

Writers:

Ronald Buck (writer)
Paul Newman (writer)

Release Date:

2 March 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

They're two men with nothing in common. They're father and son.

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Pet Shop | Childbirth | Father Son Relationship | Beer

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Harry Keach
Robby Benson	...	Howard Keach
Ellen Barkin	...	Katie Wilowski
Wilford Brimley	...	Tom Keach
Judith Ivey	...	Sally
Ossie Davis	...	Raymond
Morgan Freeman	...	Siemanowski
Joanne Woodward	...	Lilly
Katherine Borowitz	...	Nina
Maury Chaykin	...	Lawrence
Michael Brockman	...	Al
Cathy Cahill	...	Waitress
Robert Goodman	...	Andy
Tom Nowicki	...	Tommy
Claudia Robinson	...	Nurse

Also Known As:

Harry and Son (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Norway:12 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:7 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Broward County, Florida, USA

Trivia:

Tom Cruise auditioned for the role of 'Howard Keach'.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dèmoni (1985)

"Just Part Of The Ritual"

You see, it can be done. It is possible, even in the last decades of the 20th century, to make a good feature film that concentrates on character and eschews action. We don't need car chases to help us through the story, because we care about Harry and Howie and want to see what befalls them. Paul Newman co-wrote, directed and produced this absorbing tale of father and son, continuing his long tradition of intelligent movie-making.

Harry works the wrecking ball on a demolition site. He is a gruff, inarticulate fifty-something who likes his job. Howie is maybe 20, a dreamy young man who wants to be a writer. He has no real work, dividing his time between the car wash where he has a part-time job, his surf board and the family's hot tub, in which he does most of his writing.

And therein lies the conflict which drives this story. Harry was brought up not to question the importance of working for a living. His inflexible blue-collar morality is offended by Howie's lazy, self-indulgent lifestyle. Howie, on the other hand, grew up in a climate where self-expression and leisure activities count for more than the humdrum business of earning a living.

A medical condition forces Harry out of his job. Newman is impressive as the ageing, weakening man's man who is gutted by the loss of his livelihood, because to him it means the loss of his validity as a man. He sees Howie's vitality and intelligence and cannot come to terms with his son's lack of ambition. In one of their regular fights, Harry encapsulates the situation neatly. "I want a job and can't get one," he tells Howie. "You can, and don't."

Bright and personable, if a little too pretty in the John Travolta way, Bobby Benson plays Howie with enthusiasm. The contrast between the dour widower and his cheerful, energetic son is nicely conveyed. Supporting the two central performances are Joanne Woodward as Lillie and Ellen Barkin (Katie). Lillie is a friend of the family who develops a 'thing' about Harry. Her daughter Katie is a girl of easy morals whose relationship with Howie rekindles after a break-up.

Nice touches include the black screen at the very start which is shattered by Harry's wrecking ball, and the backlighting which gives Katie a 'halo' as she sets out her ethical position. I didn't like the too-convenient cheque which arrives from John Davidson or the ease with which secretary Sally can be suborned for sex. For me, Benson overacts horribly in the 'discovery' scene. Indeed, what happens to Harry is an unnecessarily dramatic event in this gentle, understated film.