OK, the characters other than Harold and Maude (Harold's mother and uncle, the priest, the psychotherapist) are a bit two-dimensional, Maude isn't consistent with her own beliefs, and the ending is, uh, ambiguous, but this is truly a great movie. It abounds with messages - surprisingly uplifting messages, given its plot - but it doesn't hit the viewer over the head with them.

The photography of the San Francisco peninsula is stunning, Cat Stevens's music is great, and there are dozens of scenes that had me laughing until the tears came - while wondering whether somebody had just stuck a knife in my gut.

Funny, sad, hopeful - with all its faults, a great movie. Everybody should see it at least once.

I don't have a television; therefore, I don't own a VCR, but I own this videotape.

I can find no second place to this movie,the casting,acting,script,story,soundtrack,cinematography and that car combine to please me like no other film. Even the film stock used in that early 70's period combinded with the video reproduction give you the feeling your watching something special.Highlights include a shot of Harold and Maude visiting a grave,the camera pans back until progressivly the entire shot (encompassing miles of rolling hills)contains nothing but endless rows of identical white tombstones,also the moments when Harolds(Bud Cort) eyes meet the camera are absolutely heartstopping. To more objective matters,the car is actually a hearse cross E-Type Jaguar, And to help some other queries the otherwise unavailable songs"If you want to sing out'sing out" and "Dont be shy" are included on Cat Stevens Greatest Hits Vol.3

First off you cannot tell me that the people at the American Film Institute did not know exactly what they were doing when they had to pick a film for this particular slot on their Top 100 Love Stories. I certainly have found memories of "Harold and Maude," which must have been one of the first black comedies I ever saw (along with "M*A*S*H" and "The Hospital"). This is a film where a lot of people must have had their heads explode trying to decide if they were more offended by Harold's hobby of committing fake suicides for the "benefit" of his mother or the fact that the 20-year old Harold has an affair with the 79-year old Maude.

That is basically all you know about this particular film to decide if it is even remotely close to your cup of tea. Screenwriter Colin Higgins, who went on to write the "Foul Play" and "Nine to Five," and director Hal Ashby, who went on to do "Coming Home" and "Being There," hit a pair of bullseyes with the casting of this quirky little story. Bud Cort plays Harold and you almost forget how good of a job he does with his part because Ruth Gordon has the part of her life as Maude. Rediscovered in her Oscar winning Supporting Actress role in "Rosemary's Baby," Gordon certainly was not going to find a lot of plumb roles for somebody her age--then along came this script because sometimes good things happen to good people. You are guaranteed that you will never forget this movie.

Maude's Words of Wisdom: (1) "Vice, virtue, it's best not to be too moral--you cheat yourself out of too much life. Aim above morality." (2) "Harold, everyone has the right to make an ass out of themselves. You can't let the world judge you too much." (3) "A lot of people enjoy being dead. But they're not dead, really, they're just backing away from life. Reach out. Take a chance. Get hurt, even! Play as well as you can. Go team! GO! Give me an L! Give me an I! Give me a V! Give me an E! L-I-V-E! LIVE! ...Otherwise, you got nothing to talk about in the locker room."

If you enjoy "Harold and Maude," then check out these other films on the AFI's list: This is a hard one. I am thinking #17 "Moonstruck," because of the age difference between the two main characters, and #52 "The Graduate," because of the folk music soundtrack. But there is really nothing truly compatible on the AFI list if you stop at #100.

A short but sweet tale. Makes a great bed time story that has instantly become a nightly request from my 3 and 5 year old.