Harry & Son Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Harry & Son Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 11, 2015

Having weathered various storms on both sides of this particular relationship equation, I can state with some surety that it’s not always easy being either a son or a father to a son. Boys typically look up to their Dads in an almost worshipful fashion in their young lives, only to give way to despair and, yes, maybe even a bit of disgust as the teen years kick in and “The Old Man” starts throwing up more obstacles and requirements. On the other hand, it’s no easier to see your progeny making stupid mistakes, despite the fact that you’ve (repeatedly) warned them about bad decision making, even going so far as to reveal your own younger self’s peccadilloes. There’s certainly material to spare for an incisive investigation of the roiling relationships between fathers and sons, but Harry & Son, a middling melodrama co-written and directed by star Paul Newman, piles on so much dysfunction and so many problematic intersecting subplots that many viewers will probably feel like they’ve been dragged down by some kind of oppressive undertow from which it’s well nigh impossible to escape. Newman portrays hard working widower Harry Keach who’s having a hard time with his young son Howard (Robby Benson), a kid who (this may sound familiar to some of you parents out there) would rather sit around goofing off rather than go out and get a well paying job. Howard has dreams, though, even if those fantasies seem to have little connection to his real life. Thinking he has the stuff of a great writer, Howard spends a bit of time concentrating on crafting fiction, but he’s rather easily distracted by any number of other pursuits, including the ever popular “sport” of girl chasing.

A lot of intimate dramas are able to work up considerable emotional heft out of of just one or two obstacles which various characters may overcome. Harry & Son doesn’t rest on its tragic laurels (so to speak), choosing instead to pile on minor drama to major trauma to try to work up a sufficiently satisfying scenario. The film probably does better in its small scale approach than in trying to saddle Harry with various other, larger issues, but the sheer accretion of various problems that attend Harry and his various relations (and relationships) can get to be a bit of a slog after a while.

Harry has learned to cope with the relatively recent death (a couple of years ago) of his wife, imposing an order on his everyday existence that seeks to keep any fears of the unknown at bay. In fact it’s probably that quest for control that serves as the first of several roadblocks hampering his relationship with son Howard. Howard is a rather good egg, it would appear, a kid with a solid academic background who just hasn’t quite found his niche yet, and frankly isn’t that eager to get out into the ranks of the gainfully employed. That rankles Harry, leading to some early skirmishes. Things are only marginally better with Harry’s daughter Nina (Katherine Borowitz), but perhaps mostly due to the fact that Harry reserves his disdain and umbrage for Nina’s husband.

Things begin to get more ominous when it’s revealed Harry has been suffering from some debilitating health issues, one of which finally comes to a calamitous climax on a construction site where Harry is working with a wrecking ball. That provides the film a jolt of energy that the underlying hints of mortality only tend to weigh down, especially when the health issues are used to provide more grist for the mill that Harry is in fact not in control and woefully incapable of interacting with his kids in an open, honest manner.

Evidently just because bad news comes in droves in these parts, Howard reconnects with Katie (Ellen Barkin), a girl for whom he once carried a significant torch who has now become pregnant while unmarried. Katie’s mother Lily (Joanne Woodward) would seem to be the near perfect catch for Harry—she’s sweet but spunky, and she obviously cares deeply for the curmudgeon. Will happy endings magically bloom like spring flowers? Of course not—more like torrential downpours of depressive tragedy (with maybe just a hint of uplift once or twice) ensue, trying to squeeze any available tear out of any available duct.

There’s a lot to like (if not love) about Harry & Son, including some keenly felt performances by its large cast (which also includes stalwarts like Wilford Brimley, Ossie Davis, Morgan Freeman and Judith Ivey). But the film is simply too overstuffed with content for its own good, as if a whole month full of “very special” Lifetime made for television movies had been telescoped into one hour and a half jaunt through dysfunction and sadness. In fact it’s that “made for tv” ambience that is one of Harry & Son’s least appealing characteristics. Paul Newman the director should have known that Paul Newman the actor deserved a better screenplay from Paul Newman the writer.

Harry & Son Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Harry & Son is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Once a somewhat clunky looking credits sequence gets out of the way, things settle down into a rather surprisingly good presentation here, one that does exhibit the typical signs of age related wear and tear, but one which also preserves a healthy and quite vibrant palette, while also delivering very good to excellent levels of detail and fine detail. Grain is natural looking and resolves without issues throughout the presentation, and contrast and black levels are both consistent. There are no issues with image instability (after a bit of wobble during the credits), and as is Olive's stock in trade, no signs of aggressive digital interference with the image.

Harry & Son Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Harry & Son features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono which more than capably supports what is in essence a rather intimate, small scale dialogue driven film where typically two characters simply converse on screen. There's a minimal if charming Henry Mancini underscore at play also, and it sounds fine as well. Fidelity is very good, though dynamic range is somewhat limited, aside from a couple of moments (including a big scene at the construction site). There are no problems with distortion or dropouts.

Harry & Son Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements on this Blu-ray disc.

Harry & Son Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If Harry & Son had concentrated solely on the slowly developing understanding between the two titular characters, the drama would have been of necessity more focused and perhaps more compelling. As it stands, there's just about everything but the kitchen sink thrown at various characters here, and it's hard for the audience to withstand that kind of incessant onslaught, despite a deliberately low key presentation which shies away from florid displays of temperament for more of a slow burn of roiling dysfunction. Newman fans may well want to check this out, especially since it also features Mrs. Newman in an appealing role, but Harry & Son is problematic at best and unfortunately pretty turgid at worst. Technical merits are generally very strong for those considering a purchase.