Harry & Son

source: Harry & Son

This movie is kind of like "Beaches" except without a plot and with ridiculous characters. This movie is so laid back that I was astonished when Harry died at the end. It really seemed to come out of nowhere considering the tone of the movie. The most glaring problem here is that both Paul Newman and Robby Benson are far too pretty for their roles, a construction worker and a wannabe writer/semi deadbeat. If it had been only one, you could maybe buy it, but with both you just feel like you're looking at movie stars the whole time. That's aggravated by Benson playing the son in the most cloying way possible. Because aspiring writers are just always the happiest and charming people you meet... Additionally, he speaks in a Godfather voice throughout! I could see this character working in something else, like a comedy, but this is intended to be a serious drama. But it's not a bad watch for free as long as you have quite modest expectations. There are some good bits like when Benson tries to repossess a vehicle and becomes friends with the owner.

For a kid from the posh suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio Paul Newman has a remarkable affinity for playing blue collar men. This is a guy who knows the value of hard work and it's his greatest disappointment in life is that he hasn't passed on that value to his children, Katherine Borowitz and Robby Benson. It's Benson who Newman worries the most about. He wants to be a writer, but that just doesn't happen over night. One has to get out into the world and acquire a little life experience to learn what one wants to write about. The only one that didn't apply to was Emily Dickinson. Benson cites Hemingway as getting rejected 300 times before getting some money for his thoughts. But there certainly was a man who had himself a lot of life experience and earned a few dollars to pay his own way. I could understand Newman very well since I came from a family of uncles just like Newman on my mother's side. I could understand Benson less so since all he wants is surf and sex. He tries working at some dead end jobs, his scenes with Morgan Freeman at a cardboard box factory and trying to repossess Ossie Davis's car are his best in the film. In fact Newman's tragedy is that health issues cause him to stop working and he won't acknowledge them. But it's Newman and Benson that's the heart of Harry&Son. Father and son Keach come to a kind of understanding toward the end. The film is not the best from either Newman or Benson, but nothing to be ashamed of here.

Films directed by popular actors are often (though by no means always) the pits. Alas, "Harry & Son" is no exception. Paul Newman directed six movies, of which this is the fifth. Actors tend to concentrate on their own performances (number one), on the playing of other members of the cast (number two), on the script itself (a distant three), but on the camera-work and visual aspects, not at all! This approach often makes for dull and self-centered viewing -- great for their rabid fans, but dull for everyone else. "Harry & Son" consists of little more than a dreary succession of close-ups. The story is slack and uninteresting. The pace is dead slow. Technical qualities are minor. Music, photography and art direction are totally undistinguished. Admittedly, director Newman does occasionally try hard to speed things up, but he's defeated by the hammy, camera-hogging antics of the rest of the cast. The hazily developed and totally uninteresting story- line doesn't help either. Mind you, things do look promising on two ore three occasions, but Newman manages to muff these up too. Generally, the pace is slow and boring. Some say this is realistic, but I thought the characters and situations were straight out of fantasy land. For instance, at one stage, the hero, who claims to be a writer, receives a check from a magazine for an unsolicited contribution. Come off it! Who's kidding who? I've worked on dozens of magazines in my time and I can assure you that unsolicited contributions are not read by anyone. They go straight into the garbage bin, unless signed by a well-known name or presented personally to the editor. Anyway, the film just meanders on and on and on, with no conclusion in sight, until Newman presumably ran out of money.

Paul Newman wanted to make a film inspired by his troubled relationship with his own son. Scott Newman, 28, died in 1978 from an overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol. Newman, the film's director, co-producer and co-writer wanted Gene Hackman to play the lead role. However, the studio insisted that Newman also star as the father. Robbie Benson is fine as Newman's distant son. I was in Fort Lauderdale when Harry & Son was being filmed. It created some excitement when Paul Newman walked into a sandwich shop and ordered his takeout lunch.

Harry was once an ace crane operator for a construction company, but failing health in his older years has weakened his eyesight and, after a near-miss on the job, he's unceremoniously canned. Harry's son, Howard, in his early 20s and still living with "Pa," has a goof-off job detailing and washing cars, which leaves him most of the day to surf at the beach or type his short stories. Unable to hold a steady job with regular hours, the kid eventually gets the boot by Harry; meanwhile, the best friend of Harry's deceased wife--who works in a bird store and talks to her parrots--has a pregnant daughter with eyes for Howard (she doesn't seem to notice or care that he's unemployed, so naturally the kid wants to marry her). Co-written, co-produced, directed and starring Paul Newman, "Harry & Son" can't help but be a disappointment. Where has Newman's artistry gone? It's as absent here as his talent handling actors. This is a one-dimensional family drama with unconvincing characters and arguments and situations. Harry pecks at his son like a jealous lover, which is rendered even more unpleasant by Robby Benson's penchant for acting without his shirt on. Benson gives a wet, mildewy performance, the kind of plastic acting that cancels out all interest in a performer. Directing himself, Newman doesn't fare much better. Joanne Woodward, Ellen Barkin, Ossie Davis and Judith Ivey should be a strong supporting ensemble but the baleful writing doesn't help them. Playing a warehouse supervisor producing cardboard boxes, Morgan Freeman (shouting over the machines) has the most ridiculous sequence--who wouldn't walk away after a nightmare like this? There's another scene involving cardboard boxes (that's two too many), wherein vindictive Newman tries making his daughter and her husband look foolish by packing dishes in a wet container. There are no conclusions to these episodes; Newman is only interested in setting up the circumstances and then bulldozing his way to the next chapter. It's a depressingly pedestrian piece of work. *1/2 from ****

I was never a fan of Paul Newman, but every once in a while he impressed me. On the other hand, I was (growing up) always a fan of Robbie Benson, and here -- again -- he does not disappoint. What does disappoint is the film, in general. It has quite a few good ingredients, including Newman and Benson, and certain segments are pretty interesting and decently done. Unfortunately, the separate parts of the film never quite come together as a whole. Harry is a construction worker who is having vision and neck problems, resulting in a near industrial accident that could heave been deadly; he gets fired. Looks for work, can't find any. Robbie Benson is his son who thinks he's a writer but actually details cars; he could work, but he thinks what's available is beneath him. Benson's best scene is when he and his ex-girlfriend are trying to "figure out" what happened. It's as good as any acting Benson ever did, though this is not my favorite Benson movie. The problem is that this film just sorta drifts along seemingly going nowhere. It's rather episodic, but the episodes don't seem to really fit together. The second problem is that a viewer wants to have some general idea of where a film is going...even if he or she ends up wrong. Well, here you just wonder where this film is wandering to. At least it isn't maudlin. Unfortunately, some of the highlights of the film are small supporting parts played by Ossie Davis and Morgan Freeman. Ellen Barki, Joanne Woodward, and Wilford Brimley have small, but significant roles. But the film really belongs to Paul Newman and Robby Benson, and I think more to Benson.

While I thought the movie was good, I had a very hard time with the scene in which Harry's daughter visits. Harry was so unbelievably cruel to his daughter in this scene, that I really wish I hadn't seen it. It actually depressed me for days. Harry's daughter visits Harry and his son with her husband and newborn daughter. Her husband, a life insurance salesman, shockingly tries to sell Harry life insurance, which Harry takes great offense at. The daughter then very nicely asks if she could possibly take her dead mother's china if Harry and his son aren't using it. Okay, so maybe this was a bit insensitive, but it struck me that the daughter seemed like a very hard worker with a full time job and a new baby and, maybe, just maybe it was really tough for her without her mother and that's why she wanted the china. Harry says that she can have the china, but then he maliciously wets the bottom of the box he gives her to carry it in. The china then falls out and breaks in a million pieces. The daughter then sees that the bottom of the box is wet, and she becomes very hurt and angry. She then exits with husband and screaming newborn. Harry finds this funny. I did not. My mother died when I was four, and I must confess that I have always wanted her china as well. It has sat in the china cabinet since her death, one of the few relatively unchanged items since. There are many times when I have missed having a mother and perhaps illogically have associated the china too strongly with her presence. Perhaps wanting the china is materialistic, but it seems inhuman on a Father's part to not understand why his daughter might want something from her mother. I really had a hard time caring about Harry after that scene.

"Harry & Son" is an opportunity for Paul Newman to wear four hats....actor, director, producer and writer. And, while his acting and direction are fine, I am not so sure of his producer skills and I am even less bowled over by his writing. There isn't a huge amount of plot in this one. Instead, it's more a character study of two guys who seem absolutely nothing like family even though they are supposed to be father and son. And, as such, it's not a particularly enjoyable character study...and much of it is because Robby Benson's character is so childish and annoying. While not as bad, Newman's actually isn't so much better. As a result, the film just seemed aimless and difficult to like...even though I think Newman was one of our great actors. Here, it's hard to notice because the story and Benson are so weak...as is the ending...which seemed to come way too late.

Paul Newman plays Harry Keach , a father who has been widowed for two years , who works as a demolition crane operator . He loses his hub due to a medical condition and finds himself battling his son and other personal demons . When you think of Paul Newman films you don't think of Harry & Son and for good reason . This overlong , melodramatic film , directed by Newman is definitely not his best work . It's nearly two hours of nothing much which ends extremely abruptly . Almost as if they ran out of money! It definitely has the feel of a TV movie but actually wasn't . Newman , unsurprisingly is the best thing about this film along with his real life wife , Joanne Woodward , but I haven't addressed the elephant in the room yet and that's Robby Benson who plays Howard , the son. What a terrible actor ! He prances around looking like a cheep John Travolta, in a pair of shorts that should be on a twelve year old boy , flashing his eyelashes and whispering every line as if he's trying to be Brando . The worst thing is he has a massive amount of screen time as well . He really is appalling and it's no wonder I've never seen him In anything since. It was interesting to see a young Morgan Freeman in a small cameo and Wilfred Brimley whois criminally underused. Unless you are a massive Paul Newman fan ( and I am ) , then I wouldn't bother .