HARRY AND SON. Directed by Paul Newman; written and produced by Ronald L. Buck and Paul Newman for Orion. Starring Paul Newman and Robby Benson. Rated PG.
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Harry is the kind of movie you really want to like.
It has a sentimental story about a father and son trying to come to terms. The characters have a certain laid-back charm, living as they do near a Florida beach. (The movie was filmed in Ft. Lauderdale.) And the show is put on almost singlehandedly by Paul Newman, who has always been one of the more likeable people in show business.
But whatever it has going for it, there's eventually too much against it. It ends up being a pretty disappointing movie.
Harry (Newman) is a construction (or rather destruction) worker who smashes wrecker balls into buildings. But when he starts having "spells," and almost kills a co-worker, he loses his job. It's soon apparent that Harry is the type of person who can't function without working. The fact that son Howie (Benson) is exactly the opposite doesn't help the situation at home.
Howie is sort of a hippie flashback to some of the better, or at least the most harmless, impulses of that subculture. It's better to do work you like, he reasons, than to make lots of money. Especially if the former gives you afternoons off for surfing. He also sees people as most important in a world meant to be enthusiastically, even childishly, enjoyed.
The generational conflict here is potentially interesting. But the problems come with the casting. The scenes between Harry and Howie should be the dramatic highlights of such a story. But watching Benson go one on one with an actor of Newman's caliber is pretty embarrassing. Howie looks cute in his-short cut-offs, but Benson can't handle the demands of the role beyond that point.
Miscasting isn't Harry 's only problem. Psychologically realistic as it may be, Harry's moping wears a little thin. In fact it's hard to say if Howie's compulsive cheerfulness or Harry's unrelieved gloominess is the more aggravating.
The minor characters in Harry provide its brightest moments. Joanne Woodward is delightful as a slightly eccentric pet store owner. Ossie Davis meets Howie and sells him a beer when the boy tries to repossess his car. Davis has a fantastic two scenes.
But a few nice touches and a good basic idea aren't enough to rescue Harry. With a different Howie, it would probably be worth seeing in spite of its other flaws. As it is, I wouldn't bother.
March 7, 1984