Colin Wessman is a Philadelphia-based writer who's trying his hand at freelancing for Collider. He spent several years writing for a video game/education company and even more years writing for the pop culture blog Mildly Pleased. Also, he somehow starred in the 2020 indie horror-comedy Stakeout despite barely being an actor.
Despite the fact that romantic-comedy has been one of the most successful and long-lasting genres in film history, it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. This could be due to the genre’s various tropes, which are so abundant that entire parody movies have been made about them. It could also be because they often contain a kind of romantic optimism rarely as ideal or fairytale-like as real-life relationships, though there are plenty of great romantic comedies that are keenly aware of this.
The opening scene sees Harold setting up one of his elaborately staged fake suicide attempts, which sees him hanging by a noose before his unfazed mother tells him to get down from there while Harold makes overwrought gagging noises. From there, we get to know that Harold clearly has a death obsession, as he also enjoys going to funerals while his fake suicides get even more over-the-top and ridiculous as his mother tries to set him up with a suitable girl to marry.
Maude being the older counterpart in this age-gap relationship is also significant and relevant, especially in today's media. While still creepy, it used to be generally accepted for an older man to be in a relationship with a younger woman. It is only recent that the "youthful" beauty expectations of women and the potential predatory intentions of older men are being drawn under the microscope.
However, the beautiful juxtaposition in Maude's characterization also lends to the conversation around older women in the film industry. She is precariously close to death and wholeheartedly embraces it, yet her character is so brazenly death-defying as she recklessly screeches around in stolen cars and approaches her end with such contagious vitality.
Higgins originally wanted to direct Harold and Maude, but his inexperience led to the hiring of Ashby whose status as one of the premier directors of ‘70s counter-culture movies makes him a perfect fit for this material. Ashby and cinematographer John Alonzo shoot the parts of Northern California that the film is set in like something out of a foggy dream, while the inspired use of Cat Stevens’ music adds a touch of melancholy and whimsy to the film without defanging its acerbic bite.
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