--- title: "Harold and Maude" year: 1971 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/harold-and-maude" fi1m_score: 81 critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 13 published: "2026-09-16T10:21:23.190087+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T10:21:23.741756+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Harold and Maude (1971) Directed by Hal Ashby · 1h 32m · MPA PG · Comedy, Drama, Romance **Fi1m score: 81** · Critics 70 from 13 reviews *In a sentence:* A funeral is apparently a perfectly sensible place to meet someone who might improve your social life > Hal Ashby’s *Harold and Maude* makes its morbid courtship funny and unexpectedly touching. Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon keep the romance believable, even when the script grows too pleased with its own disregard for convention. ## Synopsis Harold (Bud Cort) is a teenager preoccupied with death, staging suicides and attending funerals. Maude (Ruth Gordon), an elderly fellow funeralgoer, has more enthusiasm for being alive. Harold’s withdrawal puts him at odds with the respectability represented by Mrs. Chasen (Vivian Pickles). He wants little to do with the life expected of him; Maude encourages him to find something he might enjoy. As they get to know one another, their shared pastime offers Harold an escape from his familiar routines and a reason to seek somebody else’s company. ## Review *Harold and Maude* is a funny, affecting romance with a weakness for telling us how to live. Hal Ashby takes a death-obsessed teenager and an elderly funeral enthusiast seriously enough to make their attachment matter, without asking us to regard either as entirely sensible. The risk is that every eccentricity will arrive already labelled as wisdom. Colin Higgins’s screenplay sometimes does precisely that, but its central pair are too engaging for the sermon to take over. The opening’s staged suicides establish a difficult kind of comedy, with Harold’s private misery being offered up for public amusement. We laughed before we had quite decided whether we ought to, because Bud Cort gives the performances of death such painstaking seriousness. He makes Harold’s strangeness seem practised, something the boy can control while the business of living defeats him. The repetition can dull the joke, but the actor keeps enough hurt visible to stop Harold becoming merely an elaborate nuisance. Ruth Gordon makes Maude’s enthusiasm persuasive because she seems to enjoy Harold’s company, rather than merely spotting someone who needs improvement. Her attention gives him something to respond to, and his reserve prevents their scenes from becoming a contest in colourful behaviour. We were moved by the growing ease between them: Bud Cort allows Harold to seem receptive without abruptly making him a different person. In a romance built around an age difference, that gradual adjustment makes their affection believable. John A. Alonzo’s cinematography gives the macabre comedy a useful stillness; Harold’s behaviour is disturbing enough without the camera insisting on it. Editors Edward Warschilka and William A. Sawyer let the awkwardness hang around a joke, rather than hurrying us towards the reassurance of another one. Michael D. Haller’s production design is similarly restrained about competing with the actors. The surroundings help the film sustain its fairytale tone without making every scene feel like an exhibition of eccentric taste. The weakness is how readily the writing divides people into those who understand freedom and those who require a lesson. Vivian Pickles gives Mrs. Chasen a comic firmness that helps, but Colin Higgins is much more curious about Harold and Maude than about anyone who might object to them. As satire, this can feel too easy: respectable behaviour becomes sufficient evidence of emotional failure. The supporting characters could have been allowed stronger objections without making the couple any less sympathetic. The songs bring warmth without making the death jokes harmless, and their directness suits a film so willing to say what it believes. Sometimes the invitation to enjoy being alive becomes insistent, especially when Maude begins to resemble a treatment prescribed for Harold. This is a familiar danger in romances built around someone teaching someone else to live: the teacher can be denied much life of their own. Ruth Gordon’s pleasure in the part keeps that danger from swallowing the relationship. At 92 minutes, the film has time to indulge its odd couple without asking us to adopt their entire philosophy. We recommend it with one reservation: a low tolerance for compulsory cheerfulness will be tested. The funeral humour is easier to take than some of the life advice. *Fi1m score 81, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to Harold and Maude, praising its mixture of black comedy, eccentric romance and optimism about life. The strongest notices find genuine tenderness in the relationship between Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon, whose chemistry makes the characters more than vehicles for a message about nonconformity. Hal Ashby’s handling of macabre humour and human connection draws repeated praise, while the Cat Stevens soundtrack is another point of enthusiasm. The spread is wide, however, and the same eccentricity strikes some critics as forced or overly cute. More qualified reviews question the central relationship’s depth and find Ashby’s loose style uneven. The two sharply negative notices both come from 1971: The New York Times finds the emphasis on death at odds with the film’s affirmation of life. Variety objects to the juvenile, overworked black humour, though it acknowledges some successful gags and supporting performances. ### Reviews we read (13) - **Slant Magazine**, Jordan Cronk (90/100, inferred): The review celebrates the film as an indelible fable of love and death, highlighting its sincere exploration of human connection, the transcendent performances of Cort and Gordon, and the perfect Cat Stevens soundtrack. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/harold-and-maude/) - **Little White Lies**, Zoe Kurland (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as the story of a Holocaust survivor and her philosophy of living lightly and in the present rather than clinging to loss. It singles out the brief reveal of Maude's concentration camp tattoo as a key symbolic moment that deepens the unconventional romance. [Read](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/harold-and-maude-holocaust-survivor-story) - **The Guardian**, Elizabeth Quinn (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's exuberant mix of black humor and optimism as a quintessential 1970s work by Hal Ashby. They single out its humanistic approach and the way it juxtaposes macabre elements with an undercurrent of redemption. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/dec/01/harold-and-maude-50-years-on-hal-ashbys-box-office-bomb-is-a-black-comedy-classic) - **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film mostly terrific and the origin of modern indie quirk, praising the endearing chemistry between Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon as they transcend symbolic roles in a story of life-affirming eccentricity. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/harold-and-maude-1798213751) - **The Telegraph**, Tim Robey (80/100, inferred): The critic describes the film as an irresistibly odd cultural outlier and a cult hit, noting its loose, shaggy 1970s counter-culture style under Hal Ashby. They highlight the macabre opening and the unlikely romance between the leads. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/02/12/harold-and-maude-age-gap-romcom/) - **Time Out**, PH (75/100, inferred): The review calls the film a successful blend of whimsy, absurdity, tough sentimentality and black comedy. It highlights the central story of the death-obsessed teenager liberated by his friendship with the elderly funeral enthusiast as most effective when it maintains its insane fairytale tone. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/harold-and-maude) - **Los Angeles Times**, Mark Chalon Smith (60/100, inferred): The piece celebrates the film's cult appeal as a quirky antihero story promoting individualism and rebellion against hypocrisy, with Harold's strangeness turned virtuous. It praises the humor and sentiment in the central relationship but finds Cort and Gordon overly cute and Ashby's style slapdash, working best on first viewing. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-13-ol-34574-story.html) - **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (35/100, inferred): The critic finds the film more preoccupied with death and simulated suicides than with life-affirming themes, despite its comic pretensions. He notes the aggressive, off-putting performances by Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon make the mismatched couple seem oddly suited, but criticizes the ending for betraying the movie's life-affirming claims. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/21/archives/screen-harold-and-maude-and-lifehal-ashbys-comedy-opens-at-coronet.html) - **Variety**, A.D. Murphy (20/100, inferred): The review calls the film as enjoyable as a burning orphanage, criticizing its sophomoric, overdone black humor and mocking tone aimed at younger audiences. While noting a few good gags and solid turns from supporting players like Vivian Pickles, it faults the macabre concept and overall execution as dubious and embarrassing. [Read](https://variety.com/1971/film/reviews/harold-and-maude-1200422491/) - **The Playlist**, Rodrigo Perez ([A]): The piece positions the film as Ashby’s funniest and most influential work, a dark spin on The Graduate with broad impact on later directors like Wes Anderson. It singles out the heartfelt central relationship and iconic Cat Stevens soundtrack for praise. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/films-of-hal-ashby-a-retrospective-essentials-20110506/2/) - **Eye for Film**, James Benefield (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's singular, off-kilter voice and its central message to follow one's heart despite societal judgment. They highlight the unusual but empathetic bond between the leads and its lasting cult appeal. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/harold-and-maude-film-review-by-james-benefield) - **The Skinny**, Michelle Devereaux (★★★★): The critic recommends the film to Wes Anderson fans for its quirk and deadpan humor. They single out its unashamed wonder at the beauty of life amid absurdity and its humane blend of satire and intimate connection. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/harold-and-maude) - **Collider**, Andre Dellamorte (55/100, inferred): The film is a quirky cult favorite with a light touch from Ashby and a memorable Manic Pixie Dream Girl template in Maude, but the central relationship feels jokey and the spoiled protagonist limits its depth; it works as a vibe-driven oddity but is not a personal favorite compared to the director's other work. [Read](https://collider.com/harold-and-maude-criterion-blu-ray-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Hal Ashby - **Director:** Hal Ashby - **Writer:** Colin Higgins - **Cinematography:** John A. Alonzo - **Editor:** William A. Sawyer, Edward Warschilka - **Production design:** Michael D. Haller - **Producer:** Colin Higgins, Charles Mulvehill - **Cast:** Ruth Gordon as Maude; Bud Cort as Harold; Vivian Pickles as Mrs. Chasen; Cyril Cusack as Glaucus; Charles Tyner as Uncle Victor; Ellen Geer as Sunshine Doré; Eric Christmas as Priest; G. Wood as Psychiatrist - **Runtime:** 1h 32m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 20 December 1971 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Romance - **Budget:** $1 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5zQYSLy3ec ## Where to watch in the US - Apple TV: rent $4.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, FR, GB, IE, IT, JP, MX, NL, NZ, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Apartment* (1960), Fi1m 91: Another unlikely romance whose jokes make room for loneliness without dwelling on it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-apartment.md) - *A Matter of Life and Death* (1946), Fi1m 92: Death, bureaucracy and romance, handled with wit and an unembarrassed belief in love. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-matter-of-life-and-death.md) - *The Lunchbox* (2013): A quieter connection between lonely people, with small kindnesses carrying the romantic weight. - *Wings of Desire* (1987), Fi1m 88: For more curiosity about being alive, with tenderness that survives the philosophical speeches. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/wings-of-desire.md) - *Lars and the Real Girl* (2007): An eccentric outsider treated with patience, though the sweetness comes with fewer sharp edges. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. 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