Customer Reviews

Farewell to Harry

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased this DVD solely on the basis of the star, Joe Flanigan. I admire his work on the science fiction series Stargate Atlantis, and wanted to check out some of his other work.

Purchasing obscure films featuring favorite actors can be an iffy proposition; often the writing and/or productions values are so terrible as to be unredeemable by the best of performances or one's loyalty towards an actor.

Fortunately, Farewell to Harry is an exception. Well written, filmed, and acted, this is one of those simple tales that engages the viewer by sheer force of storytelling. It is not an action film, a comedy, or a serious drama; it is a story in a true and old-fashioned sense. It kept me engaged and left me with a warm, affectionate glow.

Watchers of Stargate Atlantis will enjoy seeing Joe Flanigan play a gentle, sensitive character - an ability of his that we glimpse on occasion in his portrayal of that series' John Sheppard but rarely for long enough to focus on.

Flanigan's performance in Farewell to Harry reminded me sharply of Jimmy Stewart in many ways, and I imagine this film would be enjoyed thoroughly by Stewart fans as well as those who enjoy the softer and more idealistic nature of films from Stewart's era.

This movie has all the hallmarks of a well-acted, well-produced indie film, but it missed its target for me somehow. I was distracted by its slight anachronistic feel; the film almost had a 1940s texture to it, but appeared to be taking place in more modern times -- it was difficult to tell. Regardless, Joe Flanigan as the writer Nick charms with a pitch-perfect performance, so for that alone, the film is worth a viewing.

I love this film from a talented indie filmmaker - Garrett Bennett - and highly recommend it. This story is dramatically told, is interesting to watch and emotionally moving; just like most Garrett Bennett films (Icon and A Relative Thing). No wonder it has won awards. The filmmaking is crisp, acting excellent and the images nicely color-saturated. I'm a fan of Garrett's and of this film. Good job all around!

Joe Flanigan out did himself with this one. Sadly, the unrated version appeared to have several spots that were muted where it looked like profanity had been uttered.

This is a powerful story that should have received more attention. About fulfilling your dreams. It involves the meeting of two men, and how they each save the other.

The presumed setting of this movie is irresistible. It's an old hat factory in an Island community off of Seattle. An aspiring young writer meets a local character who inherited the factory works from his father and who has lived there all his life, among the felt and fedoras.

The movie is a tone poem highlighting the many rooms of the factory - the sun coming in at unexpected transoms to gleam off old woodwork - the hand-cranked machinery - the passing of an era - the fading of a way of life.

Among other speculations, the film perhaps wanted to pose the question of whether or not the factory could be re-animated, whether its few remaining artisans could be re-energized for a new wave of industry. Or must all such antique endeavors disappear into the vapors of nostalgia? If the latter, what should be the fate of Harry, the man who has been haunting the premises for the last decades, amid all that marquetry and old machinery, and the dying strains of Billlie Holiday on the phonograph there?

These would have been good questions for the movie to pursue. And for a moment, we think the characters are going to riff on these themes. But it doesn't quite come off. The conversation and the plot start to meander badly. Harry and the young writer form some inchoate plan, not to reactivate the hat business, but to bring back the kind of high-life parties that Harry's father used to throw in the building. From here, the movie degenerates into an uninteresting version of all the old Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland ventures. "Let's fix up the barn and put on a show!"

All sorts of other pieces of plot are thrown into the proceedings, like pieces from another jigsaw puzzle. There's Harry's alcoholism - his 1958 car - his penchant for disappearing into the Bay. His "old" mistress and one of his "old" buddies who used to entertain at his father's parties are inexplicably conjured back onto the scene. But since both these parts are played by people in their early 30's, they hardly seem right to evoke "the old days." Like mismatched sox, there's a continuous mismatch of eras here.

It all becomes a gentle roux of reminiscence, without any of the characters actually having much to reminisce about. However it is gentle. Just as an aside, this film is distributed by Questar, which might have been responsible for muting out all swear words from the DVD. Not that there were many swear words to start with - and it's obvious that the few that were uttered were no worse than the word used in Clark Gable's last line in "Gone with the Wind." So the whole provenance of this film is tinged with a bit of mystery and muddle.

Still, I think I'll keep the DVD. It might be nice to go back and inhabit that factory occasionally. It's an endlessly fascinating old building to explore. And the movie's soundtrack, including Tom Dew's vocals, is genuinely evocative, worth the price of the DVD alone. So even though there's less here than meets the eye, you'll probably find yourself doffing your hat to the producers' attempt.

To be perfectly honest, I purchased this movie for two reasons...First, I would probably watch anything Joe Flanigan does, he brings such great energy to the screen, second - the Amazon reviews were good, so I thought what have I got to lose.
I have to say I was very impressed with the movie, the acting was excellent and I loved the old and new feel. I know it confuses some people, but the "40s costumes" were just plain cool! If you like to be told a great story, this is one you will love.

I enjoyed this movie very much - it was a nostalgic look at the past as well as a unique insight into what happens when an industry becomes obselete. Wonderful performances by Joe Flanigan as wanna be writer Nick and William Hall Jr. as Harry.

I am very disapointted with the DVD. For one thing it said on the box "Format: Closed-captioned" yet it did not have CC at all. Also I did not like the fact that the movie was edited so when ever the was a "bad" word there was no sound at all. Why would anyone edit out things in such a wounderful movie like this is beyond me.

This is one of those movies where I really wish I'd read the book. If there was a book. It was beautiful, with incredible performances by Joe Flanigan and William Hall Jr (who have great chemistry together), but with only one viewing under my belt, I feel like I missed something (or several somethings) that would have made watching it a truly profound experience. There's a tangible atmosphere to the whole film that creates a timeless place that's apart from the rest of the world, but left me feeling incomplete. I'll go back and watch it again and see if I can figure out what I've missed ... so I give it 4 stars because I think it's a better movie than what I saw.

This movie starts out with an interesting premise and good intentions, but something, nope, a lot, is missing. Joe Flannigan is always a treat, although he is still maturing as an actor. William Hall Jr. is a good actor, but did not have the Morgan Freeman gravitas to pull off this role. Nor was his character well written. He is the clearest-headed alcoholic ever seen on the screen. All of the principals are about the same age and that's a problem. The Harry character is just too young and so is everyone else who is supposed to be his peer. They didn't even try makeup to suggest age. The surrealism of this community acting bee consistently undermines any tension. I kept expecting Dorothy and Toto to show up. Every character except for the two leads is about as cardboard cut out as they come. The narration is too much by half. I hope the good people of Bainbridge Island (where this was filmed) can forget this and move on with their lives.