Harvey (1950)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Graham J

  
  Jimmy Stewart is brilliant as Elwood P. Dowd in this great moral tale that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy.

• Sanjay R

  
  An infectiously nice/insane main character played brilliantly by James Stewart, a great skeptical reflection of the audience portrayed by Josephine Hull, and a great story make this movie one of a kind. It is funny, nice and has a wonderful moral.

• Thomas B

  
  Amazing performance by Jimmy Stewart. Full review later.

• Anthony L

  
  Whimsical, old fashioned and extremely likable. The film doesn't seem dated but some of the acting does, James Stewart is wonderful as Elwood P. Dowd, one of cinema's best loved characters but the supporting casts performances can grate a little. That though is my only… More
  Whimsical, old fashioned and extremely likable. The film doesn't seem dated but some of the acting does, James Stewart is wonderful as Elwood P. Dowd, one of cinema's best loved characters but the supporting casts performances can grate a little. That though is my only criticism. The story is brilliant and James Stewart is at his best, a real slice of cinematic magic.

• moon r

  
  Now there's a perfectly rational explanation for everything, you've got to agree . Science has overcome time and space ... well Harvey has overcome not only time and space, but any objections. The nature of faith explained ... by a 6 foot 3 white rabbit.

• Jennifer X

  
  James Stewart just kills me dead. I could watch him read the phonebook for hours. However, I hated every other actor in this movie.

• AJ V

  
  This comedy/drama is hilarious, but with a bit of sadness in the background, I think, which makes it a uniquely fantastic film. Stewart is terrific as the main character, if you're a fan of his you should really see his performance in this movie.

• Spencer S

  
  James Stewart is unflappable as ever, even with an imaginary rabbit at his side.

• Luke B

  
  An absolutely charming and wonderful film. It is very lighthearted, in it's depiction of mental illness and alcoholism, but it is so good natured that it becomes a very moving film. Stewart plays the role of a lifetime. He is sweet and most of all hilarious. It's amazing… More
  An absolutely charming and wonderful film. It is very lighthearted, in it's depiction of mental illness and alcoholism, but it is so good natured that it becomes a very moving film. Stewart plays the role of a lifetime. He is sweet and most of all hilarious. It's amazing that a film over 50 years old can stand up against the comedies of today in pure hilarity. It's a film that makes you smile while genuinely making you a happier person. It has some excellent morals and is never disgustingly sweet or naive. For lovers of Capra and the recent Lars and the Real Girl.

• First L

  
  Jimmy Stewart stars as Elwood P. Dowd, a man who's friends with a 6 foot invisible rabbit in this light-hearted look at the victims of mental health facilities who suffer from acute psychosis. Dowd shares his home with (besides the giant rabbit) a nervous older sister and her… More
  Jimmy Stewart stars as Elwood P. Dowd, a man who's friends with a 6 foot invisible rabbit in this light-hearted look at the victims of mental health facilities who suffer from acute psychosis. Dowd shares his home with (besides the giant rabbit) a nervous older sister and her equally unbalanced, man-hungry 20-something daughter. Dowd has inherited a great fortune you see, and like all others who inherit large sums of money, he seems to have a screw loose. His sister, while somewhat crazy (she only sees the rabbit SOME of the time), still feels it's her brother who's holding back their climb up the social ladder, and because of this, she decides she must commit her brother to the local mental institution. From this point, the hijinks ensue. It's implied throughout the movie that the giant rabbit might actually exist, and is something called a "pooka". In fact, I may have to quote wikipedia here: "There is a humorous scene in which Mr. Wilson, the asylum orderly, reads the definition of pooka in the encyclopedia: 'Pooka. From old Celtic mythology. A fairy spirit in animal form. Always very large. The pooka appears here and there, now and then, to this one and that one at his own caprice. A wise[2] but mischievous creature. Very fond of rum-pots, crackpots, and how are you, Mr. Wilson?' This provides the notion that Harvey is real." The thing that separates Harvey from other mentally disturbed pictures, like say, "12 Monkeys", is that Elwood P. Dowd is such an affable character. While his sister is running around throwing hysterical fits over the tiniest thing, Elwood spends his time hanging out in the local bars, introducing himself to strangers and inviting them over for dinner. It's his goofy charm that carries the weight of the movie. When his sister takes him for a drive up to the sanitarium, he goes along just as affably as you please. When Mr Wilson gets rough and drags him up to the scrub-down area, he's still trying to introduce himself to everyone and invite them over for dinner as he's being pushed along. To quote Dowd: "I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I'm with". It's a wondefully well-written script, delivered in memorable performances.

• Fernando Rafael Q

  
  What a touching movie! James Stewart is at his best as the naive and ultra-nice Elwood P. Dowd. He's already my favorite actor, but I think this film made me appreciate him even more. HARVEY is funny, but with a little bit of drama and lots of heart. Josephine Hull is great;… More
  What a touching movie! James Stewart is at his best as the naive and ultra-nice Elwood P. Dowd. He's already my favorite actor, but I think this film made me appreciate him even more. HARVEY is funny, but with a little bit of drama and lots of heart. Josephine Hull is great; solid performances by Peggy Dowd and Jesse White.

• Tim S

  
  I had never seen this one until recently and Jimmy Stewart is flawless. I wish my wife was this way when she was drunk.

• Ken S

  
  Arguably Jimmy Stewart's finest performance

• xGary X

  
  Likeable feelgood movie that promotes individuality and tolerance in an amusingly surreal way. I found Stewarts performance a little too compliant and "Aw Gee shucks" for my tastes, but an enjoyable lightly comic piece.

• Michael G

  
  Another reason why Jimmy Stewart was and will always be amazing.

• Antony S

  
  Excellent work! This feel-good comedy conerns one Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart), local drunk and best friends to an imaginary six-foot rabbit, the titular Harvey. Stewart is fantastic in this, and makes for a hilarious film. The picture is not only comical, but also a paen to… More
  Excellent work! This feel-good comedy conerns one Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart), local drunk and best friends to an imaginary six-foot rabbit, the titular Harvey. Stewart is fantastic in this, and makes for a hilarious film. The picture is not only comical, but also a paen to tolerance, a much-ignored facet of the burgeoning decade, as Harvey seems to have a positive effect on the townsfolk, most notably the psychiatrist assigned to 'fix' Elwood, who ends up seeing Harvey as well! The film's underlying moral is that one can only be truly happy by throwing caution to the wind, and abandoning social constraints. This has of course granted the film its critics, but no heart should be left untouched by the ending. Watch it and see.

• Jeremy S

  
  Comedy Classic

• Mike N

  
  The "u" really makes the word "beautiful" beautiful. Aesthetically and phonetically, without it it's almost infantile, sounding fairly hideous and encumbering any original meaning, instead resulting in what reminds me of a bad vegetable. Beatifl. Just...no.… More
  The "u" really makes the word "beautiful" beautiful. Aesthetically and phonetically, without it it's almost infantile, sounding fairly hideous and encumbering any original meaning, instead resulting in what reminds me of a bad vegetable. Beatifl. Just...no. So, here's to you, "u"! [This entry brought to you by Friday's Most Glaring Work Typo, and the letter "U"] [size=1][This entry was definitely not edited.][/size]

• Danny R

  
  A wonderful, absolutely delightful comedy fantasy classic, with Jimmy Stewart in one of his finest roles, he is totally masterful in a Oscar nominated performance as the whimsical Elwood P. Dowd whose best friend and companion is a six-foot invisible rabbit named "Harvey,"… More
  A wonderful, absolutely delightful comedy fantasy classic, with Jimmy Stewart in one of his finest roles, he is totally masterful in a Oscar nominated performance as the whimsical Elwood P. Dowd whose best friend and companion is a six-foot invisible rabbit named "Harvey," who is actually 6'3" foot tall. Elwood lives with his straight-laced sister Veta Louise Simmons, played by Josephine Hull who is primarily known for her superb stage work, but here she literally steals the film with her brilliant and tremendously funny Oscar winning performance she is a total joy. Veta is continually embarrassed by Elwood and his faithful invisible companion who are ruining her plan's to marry off her bashful daughter Myrtle Mae, nicely played by Victoria Horne, Veta reluctantly decides to commit Elwood to a mental hospital but when she confesses to the psychiatrist there, that every once in a great while she also sees this big white rabbit named "Harvery," they end up institutionalize her instead. Fine direction by Henry Koster and exceptional supporting performances by Peggy Dow, Charles Drake, Cecil Kellaway, Wallace Ford, William Lynn and Jesse White who is a standout as the mental hospital orderly Marvin Wilson. There is real heart and thought put into this film, that is so full of hope, optimism, warmth and humor. "Harvey" needs to exist, and the real magic of this movie is that it succeeds in making us believe that he does! Mary Chase and Oscar Brodney adapted Chase's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Josephine Hull and Jesse White re-create their Broadway roles. One of my all time favorites films period. Highly Recommended.

• Mike T

  
  Charming, hilarious, magical... I don't know if I can do this movie justice with words. James Stewart is at his finest, and a lot of the writing is very emotionally stirring, considering the film is a comedy.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings