Poor man’s The Graduate: Both movies are excellent, and as you’ll read, they have many similarities. However, The Graduate edges out Harold and Maude on account of being one of the best movies ever made.
★★★★☆
This week Josh assigned me a movie I’ve been avoiding since he suggested we watch it in 2009. I politely declined (read: berated incessantly until he gave up and we watched American Beauty) based almost entirely on the movie poster. It’s definitely in the top 10 of worst movie posters of all time. Seriously, look at this fuckin’ thing. The movie Josh assigned me is Harold and Maude, which is a dark comedy from 1971. It stars Bud Cort as Harold, a morbid twentysomething without cares or plans. It also stars Ruth Gordon as Maude, a happy-go-lucky, 79-year-old Zoey Deschanel.
In my note above I compared Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude to Mike Nichol’s 1967 film The Graduate. The Graduate might be one of the greatest films of all time. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it now, especially if you’re in your twenties. When you watch this film, turn off your phone, turn off the lights, and just watch this film. Don’t be distracted, don’t have a beer, just watch one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever created. Don’t worry, the internet isn’t going anywhere, we’ll wait.
Both The Graduate and Harold and Maude feature boys in their twenties (there’s a reason I’m not referring to them as men) without a plan or a care, living off of their parents’ well being. Both of their parents are overbearing and trying to force their children to conform to their standard of living. The Graduate’s Ben Braddock is being pushed to get a job, get married, and be successful, but he doesn’t know what he wants or why he wants it. Harold’s mother is tired of his ‘childish’ antics and wants him to grow up, get married, join the army, or get a job.While Harold and Maude definitely wins on the comedy front (highlights go to the scene where Harold’s mother fills out a dating profile for him), The Graduate really wins on driving home that mixture of hopefulness, anxiety, and pressure that most college graduates feel about 45 seconds after receiving their diploma.
Now for the other half of the title, Maude. In both these films, the boy forms a relationship with an older woman. In Harold and Maude, it’s Maude. In The Graduate, it’s Mrs. Robinson. The similarities end there. Harold and Maude form a friendly, nurturing, positive relationship which brings the morbid Harold to life and gets him to try to live. Ben and Mrs. Robinson form a relationship that is not positive and it is not nurturing, one that brings out the worst in both parties. It also reveals that even though Ben’s parents are forcing Ben to live his life by their standard; their standards don’t always produce the happy, fulfilling life that is promised. It proves the age old adage: “Fake it till you make it, then realize at 45 that you’ve mortgaged your childhood dreams so buy a Ferrari, sleep with an intern, and get hair plugs.” (Editor’s Note: This is not a real quote).
The last item on my comparison list is the soundtrack. Don’t write me off here. Go watch Jaws and Star Wars, then tell me the soundtrack isn’t important. Harold and Maude and The Graduate both feature soundtracks composed by folk singers. Harold and Maude’s is made up of songs by Cat Stevens. The Graduate is songs by Simon & Garfunkel. Both soundtracks are really amazing. This is definitely a toss-up for me. Simon & Garfunkel are definitely more well known and many of their songs are classics that you can find on almost any old rock station: “The Sound of Silence”, “Scarborough Fair”, and “Mrs. Robinson”. However, despite not as high radio play, Cat Steven’s soundtrack is just as awesome. I’ve been listening to it for the past week on Spotify. “I Think I See the Light”, “Tea for the Tillerman”, and “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” are all personal favorites and the rest of the songs are just as wonderful. On this front, both the films are winners.
When we tally up the points total at the end of the night, The Graduate wins. But in all honesty it’s really difficult to win against The Graduate. There might be two or three films that could do that; it’s like trying to out-dunk Jordan. I really enjoyed watching Harold and Maude. The film is really well made: there are twists and turns in the plot to keep you interested, the dialogue is strong and realistic. There are also a lot of nice touches in this film where the filmmakers do a good job showing you who someone is, not telling you who someone is. As an example, keep an eye out for Maude’s tattoo. Where the film really fails to live up to the standard set by The Graduate is the ending. Although Harold and Maude is strong, it doesn’t have the same punch as The Graduate.
Both of these movies came out in the hangover after the summer of love. The Tet Offensive had shocked US troops. Woodstock was over. The Hell’s Angels killed Meredith Hunter at the Altamont Free Concert. The baby boomers were stuck between the greatest generation’s rules and their own prideful hedonism. The penultimate difference between the two movies is that while Harold & Maude embraces the insanity and comes out ready to face the world, The Graduate finishes his journey where he began, lost and confused. Or, to put it simpler, Harold is a generation torn apart by war and chaos, but still ready to keep trying. Ben Braddock, torn by the same forces, tries his parent’s path and tries his own, but is unfulfilled either way. For me, the biggest reason I like The Graduate more is that it forces me to ask questions about myself. Harold has a crazy ride, but ends up better than he started. Ben’s journey forces me to question my own decisions and motives, and any movie that forces the viewer to wonder about who and why they are is a great film.
Harold and Maude is available by request on Netflix DVD. The Graduate is available for purchase on Vudu and by request on Netflix DVD.
Next week, Josh will be reviewing Soaked In Bleach. Josh is a huge Nirvana fan. As a child he may have called the Portland police asking them to reopen the investigation of Kurt’s death. As a firm believer that Kurt killed himself, I really want to see Josh’s take on this movie.
cinemateur 