
Harvey
1950, Comedy, 1h 44m
28 Reviews 25,000+ RatingsYou might also like
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Harvey Photos
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Elwood P. Dowd
Veta Louise Simmons
Dr. Chumley
Miss Kelly
Dr. Sanderson
Myrtle Mae Simmons
News & Interviews for Harvey
Critic Reviews for Harvey
All Critics (28) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (4)
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The charm of the play has been brought to the screen and all audiences should find it highly satisfying.
July 30, 2019 | Full Review… -
Unhappily, what the film also borrows from the play, and somehow makes more conspicuous, is a tendency to drag its feet for long stretches, especially during the virtually actionless last third of the story.
March 29, 2011 | Full Review… -
Great performances lifts this movie above its stilted script and production.
March 29, 2011 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Harvey, Mary Chase's Pulitzer Prize play, loses little of its whimsical comedy charm in the screen translation.
March 26, 2009 | Full Review… -
If you're for warm and gentle whimsey, for a charmingly fanciful farce and for a little touch of pathos anent the fateful evanescence of man's dreams, then the movie version of Harvey is definitely for you.
March 25, 2006 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review… -
Charming, lightweight stuff (from a play by Mary Chase), so long as you can take Stewart's ingenuousness, but it does wear thin.
February 9, 2006 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for Harvey
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Dec 13, 2017"In this world, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant." So says Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart), a character who combines the gentle temperament of the Dalai Lama with the martini intake of Frank Sinatra. He also seems a bit crazy, seeing as his pal is an invisible 6'3 1/2" rabbit named Harvey, and happily introduces him to everyone he meets. While he seems harmless, his sister (Josephine Hull) wants to commit him to a sanitarium, and in a comedy of errors, gets locked up herself. From there it's a series of screwball moments, with the hospital staff trying to track down Elwood, and him oblivious to it all. The film is a little bit of indictment of the mental health industry, with one doctor (Lyman Sanderson) jumping to harebrained conclusions and an orderly (Jesse White) aggressively putting his hands on people. He alludes to having had to take the corset off of Hull's character while stripping her, a fact that intrigues her daughter (Victoria Horne), in one creepy and awkward scene. Horne at 39 was far too old for the role (Jimmy Stewart, playing her uncle, was 42), and scenes with her and White are the low points of the film. If it seems like just another goofball comedy in the first half, stay with it and let Elwood Dowd's benevolence sink in. He engages everyone he meets in real conversation, cares about them, and almost always invites them over to his house for dinner or for drinks. He does that not out of politeness, but actually wants and expects them to show up. The character is quite endearing, and Stewart's performance is nuanced and brilliant. In this screwball comedy, there is a real message of the importance of simple kindness, and it's delivered in a subtle way.Antonius B Super Reviewer
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Oct 27, 2014A pleasant, whimsical, charming, warm-hearted comedy.Dannielle A Super Reviewer
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Oct 16, 2014This sweet movie is adorable like James Stewart's character, who charms us distributing business cards and being nice to everyone that he meets, while Josephine Hull deserved the Oscar she won for her hilarious, on-the-edge-of-hysteria performance.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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Aug 29, 2014It has some annoying nuances, as you would expect from a comedy of errors, but it's also very charming, enjoyable, and I loved that it didn't go where I dreaded it would. I like that it's not just saying one thing, and there's some things to think about. At the beginning, it makes you think "no, I don't want to have anything to do with this 'crazy' man" But as the film goes by, and we meet Elwood (and Harvey) through the eyes of multiple people with different opinions and also their similar stand on the situation "we need to 'cure' him." But at the same time, we agree, "he's a sweet, sweet man." One of my favorite things about Elwood's character is his personification of Harvey as an aid to other people's worries: "He's bigger than anything they carry" or something to that effect. Specificity aside, the quote is sensible and sentimentalist, one that I would say represents the heart of the film. Another aspect I love about this film is Josephine Hulls' performance; she's a sweet, dignified lady whose acting style fit the movie's mood perfectly and trailblazed the appeal for the rest of the characters. It's an interesting mix of fantasy and reality, and it did keep my attention throughout. Great movie, and it won my favor.Diego T Super Reviewer
Harvey Quotes
Elwood P. Dowd: | Thank you Harvey,I prefer you too. |
Elwood P. Dowd: | Thank you Harvey, I prefer you too. |
Elwood P. Dowd: | Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me. |
Elwood P. Dowd: | Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be' - she always called me Elwood - 'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me. |
Elwood P. Dowd: | In this world Ellwood, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant, well for years I was smart...I recommend pleasant, and you may quote me. |
Elwood P. Dowd: | In this world Ellwood, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant, well for years I was smart... I recommend pleasant, and you may quote me. |
Elwood P. Dowd: | There are two ways to live well, you can be smart or pleasant. I've been smart for years, and I recommend pleasant |
Elwood P. Dowd: | There are two ways to live well, you can be smart or pleasant. I've been smart for years, and I recommend pleasant. |
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