Harvey

I was blessedly unaware of this version of the film until today. I am a great lover of the original starring James Stewart, and was today flicking through the TV channels when I came across this remake.

I cannot understand why the film was remade, especially with no real changes, just another cast and filmed in colour. The actor playing Elwood has none of the innocence and charm of James Stewart's portrayal and as far as I can tell is just trying to impersonate Stewart and failing terribly. The ultimate result is farcical, where the original is heart warming. The only scene that has any connection to the original is the taxi driver's speech towards the end, which verges on the magic of the original.

Leslie Neilsen gives a dreadful unconvincing hammy turn as the doctor, and the other actors are similar pantomime-esquire when compared to the 1950 version. If you have not seen the original I urge you not to watch this dreadful imitation first and see the real thing.

Pointless and an insult to the genius of the original.

Harry Anderson is a good actor and a good comedian, but he's just not James Stewart. I also love the work of Leslie Nielsen, but unfortunately, he's not Cecil Kellaway, either. This is not a bad remake, though. In fact, it's really quite good. It only fails in comparison to the original. If you have never seen the James Stewart Harvey, then this will seem very good to you. It's funny, and the actors here convey the same intensity and humor that the originals did. It's just that James Steward WAS Elwood P. Dowd, and any other actor.....ANY other actor, will just not be as good. A valiant effort, and a really nice remake, but just not the original at all.

I happened to catch this on TV the other night. I was pleasantly surprised. The casting choice of Harry Anderson more than did justice to Jimmy Stewart's performance. Credit the director for maintaining the classic ambiance of the film with original dialogue and 1950s set. 4 stars for this heart-felt, oh-so-pleasant remake.

Anyone who wants to remake "Harvey" better have a very good reason... It's hard to improve on a classic! But the creators of this "Harvey," and the actors in it, are predictably short on vision. The parts are miscast and misinterpreted -- again, how to improve on the original? Some of the choices are baffling -- Mrs. Chumley, a blond bombshell? (And a poor actress to boot?) I thought Nurse Kelly was supposed to be the sexy romantic lead. And who took the edge off Wilson's comic relief? Key parts of the script have been altered, and scenes added and deleted -- Mary Chase's pulitzer material wasn't good enough, apparently. Even Anderson is an embarrassment -- he seems uncomfortable with the project, as well he should be. Do yourself a favor -- boycott the silly remake and see the original!

A remake of a classic film isn't usually the best place to start from, but I was pleasantly surprised that this one wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I can't say it is great, but I did enjoy it. Harry Anderson seemed to be trying a little too hard at times, but I could understand why with such a great performance in the original by Jimmy Stewart. His Elwood grew on me as the movie progressed. (Incidentally, Mr. Stewart wasn't happy with his performance, and wished he had done a better job putting more into the character, from what I've read).

Not great, but not horrible. I'd watch the original over this is a heartbeat, but I wouldn't change the channel if this version were to re-air. I gave it a 5 out of 10.

OB Loco