Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?

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Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?

I tracked this movie down purely to watch Shel Silverstein performing. The first time I watched this movie I saw right away that it was the basis for Fight Club. Don't know why nobody else sees it... the Fight Club wiki doesn't reference this movie or the book it is based upon. I guess the first rule of Fight Club is: "Don't talk about 'Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying All Of Those Terrible Things About Me?'"! That's all. Give credit where credit is due!

This film is in the tradition of absurdist cinema, and suffers from some of the defects of that genre. Particularly in the first half it is very mannered and seems to revel in quirkiness for its own sake. But as the movie progresses it becomes much more relateable and, in many cases, quite affecting. Barbara Harris' performance marks this transition very obviously. But what I think is important about this movie is that its narrative style and devices clearly were big influences on Woody Allen (particularly the integration of childhood memories with adult experience) and Charlie Kaufman (the use of absurdist devices to drive personal narrative). So in that sense it was quite groundbreaking.

An existential comedy starring Dustin Hoffman as a phenomenally successful songwriter haunted by a man named Harry Kellerman, who seems bent on ruining him. Hoffman is free-falling through life despite having all the trappings of success, hallucinating scenes from his past while floating from one bad relationship to another. A great, unheralded movie from writer Herb Gardner and director Ulu Grosbard, this features one of Hoffman's best performances. It's melancholy but also very funny, surreal but also grounded very much in reality. The large supporting cast includes the excellent Barbara Harris, Jack Warden, David Burns and Dom DeLuise. Shel Silverstein, who plays Bernie, did the music. Harris earned an Oscar nomination for her stunning work, but the entire cast is first rate.

This is a difficult movie, but worth staying with it if you like fully developed characters, emotional depth and you don't mind something outside the normal linear Hollywood story telling format. Dustin Hoffman gives a fine nuanced performance and Barbara Harris is wonderful as a vulnerable woman all too aware that she has lost her youth. Her performance is touching and every moment she is on screen shines with her unique brilliance.

If there were an award for "best opening credits," this movie would be my pick to win, with its quirky fantasy scene accompanied by Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show's marvelous "Last Morning." The mix of fantasy and flashback without explanation may turn off some viewers, as may the slow pace. It is not plot-driven, but is rather a character study. It also presents a picture of an period in America when modernity began to overtake traditional ways and values. As a whole, I do not find the film to be one of Dustin Hoffman's best, but I would not have missed the haunting performance of Barbara Harris for the world. The rest of the supporting cast is also extraordinary, even including an unusual dramatic performance by Dom DeLuise, nicely done. Overall, worth seeing.

Harry Kellerman is the best portrait I have ever seen on celluloid of the inescapable nature of neurotic pain. The fixated, tortured soul--albeit tortured on the small, inner scale of suffering--awakens to his pain, sees a possible escape route, and struggles to hurl himself through it. But then he only finds himself bank again at square one, the tether of his Gordian knot unbroken and unfrayed. Told with humor and absurdity appropriate to the subject matter, Harry is a delightful, original, and insightful movie.

Labeling this movie as ahead of its time would be a bit too generous. In truth, it was ahead of its time but missed the mark. With lots of cuts between fantasy and what is probably reality, the movie does take you into the head of a disconnected music star. The only trouble is that once we're there, ... then what? In this case, nothing much, and that's a shame. At one point Hoffman's character meets a woman more screwed up than he is, and he sets about to help her a bit. Their interaction is poignant, but the movie is mostly devoid of emotion. It's nice enough to watch Hoffman walk through this movie, but i really can't recommend it for much else.

Georgie Soloway (Dustin Hoffman) is a Bob Dylan-esquire folk singer whose neurosis has sent him into drug addiction. He finds it hard to hold relationships for two reasons: 1) his own nature and 2) someone named Harry Kellerman keeps undermining his relationships. "Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?" is one of those movies where you're never sure about what you're seeing on the screen. Is it real or is it his imagination? And what about Harry Kellerman? Either way, it's a good look at how a mixture of neurosis and drugs can drive a person over the edge. Georgie finds that out to the extreme. Not exactly a masterpiece, but worth seeing.