Film Snail

7.3

Deconstructing Harry

R·1997·96m

Comedy

Drama

Comedy

Drama

Summary

Writer Harry Block draws inspiration from people he knows, and from events that happened to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as a result.

Cast

Caroline Aaron

Doris

Woody Allen

Harry Block

Kirstie Alley

Joan

Bob Balaban

Richard

Richard Benjamin

Ken

Eric Bogosian

Burt

Billy Crystal

Larry / The Devil

Judy Davis

Lucy

Hazelle Goodman

Mariel Hemingway

Beth Kramer

Amy Irving

Jane

Julie Kavner

Grace

Eric Lloyd

Hilly

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Leslie

Tobey Maguire

Harvey Stern

Demi Moore

Helen

Elisabeth Shue

Fay Sexton

Stanley Tucci

Paul Epstein

Robin Williams

Mel

Hy Anzell

Max

Scotty Bloch

Ms. Paley

Philip Bosco

Professor Clark

Robert Harper

Harry's Doctor

Shifra Lerer

Dolly

Gene Saks

Harry's Father

Stephanie Roth Haberle

Janet

Dan Frazer

Janet's Dad

Joel Leffert

Norman

Lynn Cohen

Janet's Mom

Joe Buck

Yankee Announcer

Jane Hoffman

Grandma

Annette Arnold

Rosalee

Frederick Rolf

Harvey's Doctor

Elisabeth Kieselstein-Cord

Rosalee's Sister

Lortensia Hayes

Jennifer

Alicia Meer

Woman in Shoe Store

Victoria Hale

Woman in Shoe Store

Irving Metzman

Shoe Salesman

Sunny Chae

Lily Chang

Ralph Pope

Death

Tony Darrow

Camera Operator

Jonathan LaPaglia

First Assistant Cameraperson

Jeff Mazzola

Second Assistant Cameraperson

Timothy Jerome

Director

Peter Castellotti

Crew Member

Judy Bauerlein

Actress

Joseph P. Reidy

First Assistant Director

Phyllis Burdoe

Script Supervisor

Barbara Hollander

Mel's Daughter

Adam Rose

Mel's Son

David S. Howard

Mel's Doctor

Amanda Barudin

Beth Kramer's Daughter

Juliet Gelfman-Randazzo

Baby Hilly

Floyd Resnick

Israeli Patient

Brian McConnachie

Dr. Reese

Peter Jacobson

Goldberg

Tracey Lynne Miller

Goldberg's Girlfriend

Jennifer Garner

Woman in Elevator

Irwin Charone

Bar Mitzvah Host

John Doumanian

Bar Mitzvah Guest

Alexa Aronson

Bar Mitzvah Guest

Kenneth Edelson

Bar Mitzvah Guest

Viola Harris

Elsie

Si Picker

Wolf Fishbein

Howard Spiegel

Mr. Farber

Eugene Troobnick

Professor Wiggins

Ray Aranha

Professor Aranha

Paul Giamatti

Professor Abbott

Marvin Chatinover

Professor Cole

Daniel Wolf

Professor Wolf

Waltrudis Buck

Dean of Adair University

Arden Myrin

Student Mary

Daisy Prince

Elevator Voice

Peter McRobbie

Damned Man

Dan Moran

Devil

Ray Garvey

Policeman on Campus

Linda Perri

Policewoman on Campus

Tony Sirico

Policeman at Jail

Crew

Director, Screenplay

Woody Allen

Reviews

Geronimo1967

May 2, 2024

The aptly named "Harry Block" (Woody Allen) is a seriously lapsed Jewish writer suffering from constipation of the typewriter. Adding to his woes is a nervousness about an impending honour from his alma mater (from where he was unceremoniously expelled) and the fact that his personal life makes Henry VIII's look like "Bertie and Elizabeth". Of course, "Harry" is seeing a therapist (Robert Harper) and with just a day before his conferment, he realises that his entire shambolic life is a result of his inability to fall in love. He likes women, he likes sex but he doesn't really like commitment, wanting always to treat a relationship like something he can buy in, or return to, Walmart. That's the basis of this story of a flawed individual that using a series of statically directed sit-com style scenarios takes us thorough twenty-four hours in the manic life of the shallow and unlikeable individual. I have never really been a fan of Woody Allen and this did nothing to change that. Granted his writing is quick fired and his observations potent at times, but his sense of humour is just too crass for me. There's nothing at all subtle about it, no cleverness - and the opening scenes of this set a scene for what I thought became increasingly puerile and predictable. A sort of slickly-delivered linguistic slapstick. Vulgar can be fun, but not when it's got some pseudo-intellectual underpinning about cause and effect of an human behaviour that becomes more and more contrived to fit the narrative the auteur wants to deliver. Are the jump cuts just there to divert our attention from the dwindling characterisations and increasing soapy melodrama? He doesn't imbue his character with anything I could care about, and though I did think Judy Davis and a cast of many reliable faces did their best to shore it all up, in the end it's very appropriately titled - it just doesn't happen quite quickly enough.