Harvey

Harry Anderson is a good actor and a good comedian, but he's just not James Stewart. I also love the work of Leslie Nielsen, but unfortunately, he's not Cecil Kellaway, either. This is not a bad remake, though. In fact, it's really quite good. It only fails in comparison to the original. If you have never seen the James Stewart Harvey, then this will seem very good to you. It's funny, and the actors here convey the same intensity and humor that the originals did. It's just that James Steward WAS Elwood P. Dowd, and any other actor.....ANY other actor, will just not be as good. A valiant effort, and a really nice remake, but just not the original at all.

I've wanted to see the old version of Harvey for years, but I always seem to miss it, so I snagged the DVD of this when I found it. I like Harry Anderson far more than Jimmy Stewart, so I thought I'd like this version better anyway... but it left me really wanting to see the original. This one was likable, but something was more than a little amiss.

As the film ended, I noticed it was dated 1996, and after seeing it, I can understand why it was shelved for three years. Most of the performances are top-notch (particularly Swoosie Kurtz, who devours the scenery whole) and would have worked beautifully on the stage. On film, however, it barely works. The screenplay seems to have been too closely adapted from the stage version, with stilted wording, awkward pauses for audience laughter and completely unrealistic dialog that simply doesn't flow on film. The direction was competent, but neither the acting nor direction could make up for the script's shortcomings.

Which brings me back to the acting. Leslie Nielsen was completely and utterly miscast as the wacky German doctor -- most likely for his name value. His performance in this film was almost painful to watch, and the actions of his character were virtually senseless. The rest of the cast, however, were perfect for their roles. Anderson exudes charm as Elwood P. Dowd, Kurtz stole every scene as his sister, Jessica Hecht was just smarmy enough as the nurse -- even Jonathan Banks was wonderful in an over-billed cameo as a cab driver. It's just a shame that they weren't given a better script to work with.

I didn't dislike this film, but I'd hoped to like it more than I did. I surmise that this is a prime example of why the classics shouldn't be remade.

This truly is a dire, catastrophic mess of a wonderful original. WHY do they have to remake things like this at all? And then castrate them, turning something great into bland pap? The thing that depresses me most of all is that several of the reviewers on here seem to be unaware that the James Stewart original even exists. Pathetic.

Anyone who wants to remake "Harvey" better have a very good reason... It's hard to improve on a classic! But the creators of this "Harvey," and the actors in it, are predictably short on vision. The parts are miscast and misinterpreted -- again, how to improve on the original? Some of the choices are baffling -- Mrs. Chumley, a blond bombshell? (And a poor actress to boot?) I thought Nurse Kelly was supposed to be the sexy romantic lead. And who took the edge off Wilson's comic relief? Key parts of the script have been altered, and scenes added and deleted -- Mary Chase's pulitzer material wasn't good enough, apparently. Even Anderson is an embarrassment -- he seems uncomfortable with the project, as well he should be. Do yourself a favor -- boycott the silly remake and see the original!

From what I read, I wasn't expecting much from Harry's performance. Jimmy was...extraordinary. And I kept comparing Harry to him, until the part where he meets Mrs. Chumley.

There, Harry just seemed to shine a bit and I forgot about comparing. I just concentrated on Harry as Elwood, instead. Not too bad.

I love Swoosie Kurtz. I like to watch her films. She's a fun actress. Veta is just a tough role to perfect. I'd say it is the strongest. I don't find Josephine Hull to be an easy actress to match. It's almost like the role of Veta was 'made for her'.

Hull's character was irritating but, also oddly charming and she nailed better than the other 'Veta' characters. Kurtz did have a few good moments. It just takes a certain kind of lady to make that role work on film. Otherwise, a stage performance may work better.

This movie is more of a 5/10 but, I'll give it a 6/10 due to Harry's effort.