Che fine ha fatto Harold Smith?

I also had the opportunity of seeing this film at the London Film Festival, but not having grown up in the 70s approached it with few expectations and even less knowledge of what the period was like. The actors all turned in good performances, with Tom Courtenay especially memorable. The direction was slick and the film consequently flowed smoothly. Some jokes were hilarious and reflected the overall strength of the screenplay, which was packed with novel ideas and witticisms. All in all a very friendly and fun film that I would highly recommend.

I saw this movie 'by accident' last night - a friend of a friend had an old video copy - and thought it was absolutely brilliant. And I had a lousy hangover! I hadn't even heard about it before - I don't know if it ever had a proper cinema release but it clearly wasn't the huge hit it deserved to be. I can't believe some of the negative comments I've read about it. Were they watching the same film? I thought the story, the characters and the whole 70's feel of it was amazing - even if the 70's I recall wasn't quite as colourful as that. Tom Courtenay was superb as the enigmatic Harold, likewise Steven Fry and David Thewliss. Harold's speech about the tortoise was a classic. I noticed you can't even buy this film on DVD or video now but my advice is if it's ever on TV check it out!

There are a lot of negatives written about this film. I think people get upset over things that, let's face it, don't really matter much. Who cares if punks are not portrayed very well, or cars arn't painted as perhaps they should be? Tom Courtney is brilliant in this, It's a bit of fun for goodness sake. No boys with their toys, no posing hard guys, no f***k me when you're ready females, there just for decoration. Hey! no wonder a lot of guys don't like it much, how dare somebody make a film that deviates from the same tired old formula!! Myself? I enjoyed it. Of course it's not 'art,' just entertainment, and all the better for it in my view.

If you want to see what the seventies where really like, check this out and avoid TV dramas like Days Like These! An enjoyable film though not as funny as it thinks it is,or could have been. Still nice to know that reasonable British films can be made without obviously appearing to the American market. Worth a look

When you see a lot of films they unfortunately tend to blend together after a while due to formula film-making and seeing the same faces over and over again. "Churn and burn Bruckheimer films. G'day again Nick Cage".

Then out of the blue, along comes an absolute gem like WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HAROLD SMITH? This is a wonderfully original British film accessible to any nationality, extremely funny, full of heart and obviously written by someone with imagination... and not just an idea for packaging a concept. A rare movie where the clever script and performances of the cast never have you questioning the most unbelievable of circumstances.

The mostly ensemble cast could not possibly be bettered with Tom Courtney, as Harold, putting in a wonderfully restrained performance... possibly his best over a long career that includes an Oscar nomination for THE DRESSER. Good performances are too many to mention but Michael Legge as son Vince, the driving force of the story, is a real talent with impeccable comic timing and an air of innocence that will definitely see him go places.

If you're looking for something different, give this film a go and be totally immersed in the 70's, have a good laugh and be entertained by a refreshing piece of entertainment.