Harry and Tonto (1974)

Directed by Paul Mazursky. Starring Art Carney, Herbert Berghof, Phil Bruns, Joshua Mostel, Ellen Burstyn, Larry Hagman, Chief Dan George, Melanie Mayron, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Dolly Jonah, Cliff DeYoung, Arthur Hunnicut, Barbara Rhoades, Michael Butler. [R]

Episodic road movie follows an elderly widower named Harry (Carney) and his pet cat named Tonto on a cross country trip after being forced out of his apartment right before it’s demolished. His encounters with family members, hitchhikers, an old sweetheart, a jailed American Indian, a hooker, and more lead to affectionate humor, bittersweet emotions, imparted wisdom, sentiment and caution; it’s aimless at times and tries to touch on too many subjects with more muted grace than motivated attitude. A film that’s as easy to enjoy as it is to forget, at least when it comes to the experiences and lessons. The central pair is what lingers—a pet worthy of adoration, and a fully-realized human who can’t be defined by any single trait he exhibits. Carney’s remarkable performance won him an Oscar…but there’s a reason why this picture is best remembered today as the movie that was awarded a Best Actor trophy the year that the competition included, among others, Al Pacino for The Godfather Part II and Jack Nicholson for Chinatown. The girl on the beach at the end is director/producer/co-writer Mazursky’s daughter.

75/100