Similarities Between Harold And Maude Ashby

Harold and Maude (1971, dir. Hal Ashby) is a twisted, yet effective radical romantic comedy that I enjoyed. The film is filled with strange suicidal scenes, dark elements, a few heart-warming moments, good laughs, and taboos that challenged cultural ideologies of the time period. I placed this film as a radical romantic comedy for a few main reasons: an ending that feels satisfying without the characters ending up together, a quest for peace by the main characters, the jettison of cultural rules, and realistic characteristics. While Harold and Maude is filled with many realistic elements, it does have quite a few far-fetched ideas, as well. Harold, 19, is obsessed with death. He attends the funerals of strangers, drives a hearse, and, most peculiarly, often stages elaborate fake suicides. Harold does not attend school and feels very lonely and depressed. He enjoys being “dead.” Maude, in contrast, is a bright and carefree 79-year-old woman. She drives recklessly, also attends strangers’ funerals, smokes hookah, steals, models nude for a local artist, and watches plants grow. After meeting Harold at a funeral, she takes him under her wing and decides to teach the boy a few things about life. Maude brings Harold to a field of flowers, and when Harold makes …show more content…
Romance is still present, especially when the couple dances and makes love, but the romance between the two lovers is not perfect. Previous romantic comedies involved two attractive people coming together and having a fairy-tale relationship. Harold, though, is a depressed, sickly boy; Maude is an old woman. The characters live in a pretty basic place, and everything is much more realistic. I think this is much more admirable and more fun to watch than a predictable, old-fashioned romantic comedy. Realistic films are more relatable, and many radical comedies try to convey realism to