Unbeatable Harold

This was the worst movie I have ever seen. I say that without exaggeration. The film failed to focus. I couldn't even tell you what it was about. It's best described as an 1 1/2 hour long montage of first draft jokes. I've never been so disappointed in a film. I went to the premiere and wanted to walk out. The main character, Harold, didn't really have an established goal in mind. Harold wandered from one thing to the next and I kept hoping that he would settle on a goal. Thirty minutes into it, I realized it wasn't going to happen. They introduced a new plot line! It was torture.

This was a SAG low budget film and the production was good, but the script wandered and the characters fell flat. Winkler and McDermott couldn't save it. Gladys Knight and Phyllis Diller didn't have a chance. The Unbeatable Harold will get his butt beat at the box office.

I saw Unbeatable Harold at the ISIS theater in Aspen in March 2006 during the HBO festival. I enjoyed the film a lot. Nicole DeHuff is radiant. She reminded me of a David Lynch Mulholland drive type character. Imagine Naomi Watts from Lynch's film falling in love almost against her will with Wenders' Paris Texas Harry Dean Stanton: you get Unbeatable Harold. While this couple brings most of the emotions and the inspiration in the film, the assemble cast brings most of the fun: old timers like Durning and Winkler cross the path of younger actors like Taryn Manning of Hustle and Flow and Dylan McDermott, hilarious as a fallen rock star performing heavy metal covers of "The Greatest Love of All" on the Nevada "hotel" circuit... The film is a portrait of a series of American losers, of all ages and in all fields, filmed with great love and tenderness. After laughing at them, I started feeling for them and left the theater full of joy and understanding... I was shocked to read in the ending credits that the main actress Nicole DeHuff passed away after they filmed the film.

Was the writer of this attempting to do something quirky and off-beat with this film? I did not catch the first part of the movie...I tuned in mid-way through..but seeing it from the beginning probably would not have made much difference really. I kept waiting for it to be funny or interesting or for goodness sake...make sense...which is barely ever did. Harold...the dork/nice guy...who was in total love with a woman who really didn't seem to like him all that much...even though she did go on a date with him. He pours his heart out to her..but nope..it doesn't work.She walks all over his heart...right there in a sleazy Vegas themed motel room. Poor guy. The underdog who never wins. His lady-love is in love with a rock and roll dude..played...badly...by Dylan McDermott. A bad-ass he is not...and is about as suited to the roll as Pee Wee Herman would have been. Despite the long rocker hair and bad attitude..he comes off as 3rd rate wanna-be idiot. What woman would swoon over that? Seeing Gladys Knight and Phillis Diller in this farce floored me. How do filmmakers get well-knowns to do low budget junk? I kept thinking this movie was attempting to copy off-beat stuff like Tarentino would do...without the blood and gore. Again...it never quite made it there. None of the characters made you believe they were real people...it was clear it was make-believe. Bad writing, bad acting...bad everything really. The girl..Wanda...never seemed like someone any guy would be heartbroken over...I guess just being pretty and blonde was all it took to turn heads though...and all she did was wait tables..wow. I couldn't decide if Harold was trying to look like Clint Eastwood or some other country swooner...someone should have told him to shave off those unappealing sideburns...it might help a little. It was a very predictable plot line...the underdog gets the girl in the end. In between is a lot of mixed up junk that made no real sense. Some low budget stuff is great...this one is not.

this is the story of Harold, it seems that no one told Harold that Elvis is dead ,

this is a "loveable loser.." movie, it is just a visit with Harold really , you tag along w/ him as if you are his best friend , you get to know (and probably like) him,- I like very few romantic comedies -- i really liked this one ,-- it does test your loyalty by plodding along a bit in some parts , but even those moments are fun because Harold is fun,

This movie is my definition of "campy", it is done well though.

I don't see how you could "not " like this movie --even if you came in halfway through(who writes a review after missing half a movie??)-- the movie picks up about 40 mins in, and if you followed the story , it continues to get better till the end which is worth the wait...

Good movies are (to me) judged by the end ---at the end of "3000 miles to Graceland", it hit me that I had just watched a brilliant movie/and you don't get that till the end sometimes

so - if you are looking for a "top notch" "feel good" movie , Unbeatable Harold fits nicely. I enjoyed it , i recommend it, and I would watch it again. now just start the movie

I had the honor of attending the premier showing of this film. It was a delightful, funny, warm, endearing, refreshing interlude---a pleasant break from some of the weird and violent films I have seen. This is a film you can take your wife or kids to and sit back and simply enjoy yourself. There are some outstanding and talented actors and singers in this film and I hope that it will be followed by a sequel movie or a TV series. I am told that Henry Winkler (The Fonz) has expressed interest in being a part of the TV series when and if it happens. What great fun that would be! I read the previous reviewer's comments in disbelief, because this wonderful and worthwhile movie has something in it for just about everyone.