Elwood P. Dowd is a gentle, good-natured kind of fellow, whose best friend is a six-foot rabbit called Harvey whom nobody else can see. When his socially-aspiring sister Veta tries to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium, she is locked up by mistake, the mischievous Harvey drives the head shrink batty, and general confusion ensues.
This is a classic and much-beloved comedy favourite, with a fantastic premise and featuring one of several masterful performances by Stewart in his Ordinary Joe good guy persona. He manages to make Elwood warm and affable despite his somewhat infuriating character, and his easygoing faith in kindness and pleasant good nature is as appealing a philosophy as anyone ever offered, regardless of how screwy he is. His accomplishment glues the film together but he is ably supported by a good cast, who rattle through the machine-gun dialogue faster than seems possible. I really like the theme of this movie - that it's better to be pleasant and mad as a march hare than be cold-hearted and irredeemably sane - as typified by the line, "Well, I wrestled with reality for thirty-five years doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.". Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Mary Chase. And remember, if you can't see the pooka, it's because you're taking life too seriously.
This is a classic and much-beloved comedy favourite, with a fantastic premise and featuring one of several masterful performances by Stewart in his Ordinary Joe good guy persona. He manages to make Elwood warm and affable despite his somewhat infuriating character, and his easygoing faith in kindness and pleasant good nature is as appealing a philosophy as anyone ever offered, regardless of how screwy he is. His accomplishment glues the film together but he is ably supported by a good cast, who rattle through the machine-gun dialogue faster than seems possible. I really like the theme of this movie - that it's better to be pleasant and mad as a march hare than be cold-hearted and irredeemably sane - as typified by the line, "Well, I wrestled with reality for thirty-five years doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.". Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Mary Chase. And remember, if you can't see the pooka, it's because you're taking life too seriously.