Starring: James Stewart, Peggy Dow, Josephine Hull, Charles Drake.
Synopsis: Elwood, a mannerly 42-year-old gentleman with a penchant for martinis, has a personally unique best friend in the form of a six-foot-tall white rabbit named Harvey – who is also a Pooka, a spirit that is able to take the form of animals. When Elwood’s imaginary humanoid rabbit friend causes embarrassment to his older sister and her daughter (who will surely never be married or have a successful social circle with a delusional uncle around), the family attempt to have Elwood institutionalised for his hallucinations, only to end up in a comedy of errors as Elwood and Harvey inadvertently gain the upper hand with their charm and wisdom.
As numerous doctors and relatives chase Elwood and Harvey in an attempt to remove the rabbit by means of medication, new romances and friendships bloom thanks to the Pooka and his genteel best friend, rendering Harvey the unlikely hero of the tale despite his lack of physical presence.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvfXvW2wsuQ&w=740&h=422]
Harvey is a heart-warming comedy classic with humour that outlasts the strain of time, despite the age of the production showing through. If anything, this film is worth a watch just to see what Donnie Darko may have looked like if it were made in the nineteen-fifties and contained less nihilism.
Watch If You Liked: Some Like it Hot, Arsenic and Old Lace.
Rating: 7/10
Words by Charlie Ginger Jones