Being a practical person, I find comedies like HARVEY a bit of a stretch to swallow--however, I must admit that JAMES STEWART plays Elwood C. Dowd so perfectly that I almost expected to see Harvey myself by the time the film was over.
And whether you accept the simple platitudes offered here by screenwriter Mary Chase (as in her play), or not, the gentle fantasy is played for humor by a brilliant cast which makes the whole thin story easy to take. I suspect many will not succumb to the charming portrait of a mild-mannered alcoholic and his 6'3" rabbit friend that JAMES STEWART offers unless they can appreciate that this screwball comedy is really pleading for tolerance and understanding among all of us.
The performances make the film, in my opinion, and I can't express anything but admiration for the smooth ensemble work of Stewart, Josephine Hull (priceless in her Oscar-winning role as his scatter-brained sister), Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Cecil Kellaway, Jesse White and Victoria Horne.
It passes the time pleasantly but you have to be in the mood for its quaint charm and whimsical situations.
And whether you accept the simple platitudes offered here by screenwriter Mary Chase (as in her play), or not, the gentle fantasy is played for humor by a brilliant cast which makes the whole thin story easy to take. I suspect many will not succumb to the charming portrait of a mild-mannered alcoholic and his 6'3" rabbit friend that JAMES STEWART offers unless they can appreciate that this screwball comedy is really pleading for tolerance and understanding among all of us.
The performances make the film, in my opinion, and I can't express anything but admiration for the smooth ensemble work of Stewart, Josephine Hull (priceless in her Oscar-winning role as his scatter-brained sister), Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Cecil Kellaway, Jesse White and Victoria Horne.
It passes the time pleasantly but you have to be in the mood for its quaint charm and whimsical situations.