Wild About Harry

Name: Wild About Harry
Genre: Drama
Released: 2009-07-11T00:00:00.000Z
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 5.4
Cast: Tate Donovan, Adam Pascal, Danielle Savre, Skye McCole Bartusiak, Josh Peck

"Family is family no matter what."

Set in 1973 and inspired by true events, 'Wild About Harry' follows the havoc wreaked in a teen girl’s life when she discovers that her widowed father is gay. Alternately comic and tragic and anchored by an impressive ensemble cast, the film captures both the freedoms and the homophobia of the time – all set against the backdrop of small town America on Cape Cod. British widower Harry Goodhart decides to make a fresh start and moves with his teenage daughters to Cape Cod in 1973. But Harry can't leave behind the secret that threatens to tear his family apart. Adjusting to their new lives proves difficult for the girls when they discover that the connection between their dad and his partner is more than just a working relationship.

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CinemaSerf@Geronimo1967

August 13, 2023

Tate Donovan sports a British accent for this really mediocre family drama that I found quite hard to struggle through. Following the death of his wife, he and his two daughters "Madeline" (Danielle Savre) and "Daisy" (Skye Bartusiak) relocate to a small community on Cape Cod where he falls, a bit unexpectedly, for "Theo" (Adam Pascal). They try to keep their relationship secret but of course the cat can't stay in the bag for long and there now develops an actually quite torrid story of selfishness, intolerance and stupidity. To be fair to Donovan ("Harry") he does just about enough here as the dad juggling truths, lies, love and lust - but "Madeline"! If she had been mine I would have put her in a velvet sack. I wish I could say that it was Savre's talent as an actor that drove me mad, but it wasn't. She is terrible, but shares responsibility for her shocking delivery with the writers who provide a characterisation of this truly odious individual who sneaks around spying on her father; a creature who peeks through keyholes and eavesdrops from the stairs. Imagine if her father had done that to her as she carried on with her own "private" life. The story is all so contrived and frankly unpleasant. It's implausible, and the arrival of the always wooden as a spoon James B. Sikking ("How can you have yellow alert in space dock?") as his religiously bigoted father just further commends this sentimental and flawed drama to the doldrums. Who is this for? Well that's anyone's guess - but it was certainly not for me.

CinemaSerf@Geronimo1967

August 13, 2023