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Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?

Play trailer Poster for Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? R Released Jun 15, 2001 1h 35m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
40% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Eighteen-year-old Vince (Michael Legge) is obsessed with disco, until his world turns upside down when he falls in love with an exotic punk, not realizing that she is Joanna (Laura Fraser), his workmate in a solicitor's office. Meanwhile, Vince's father Harold (Tom Courtenay) passes his retirement in front of the television, being ignored by his still-glamorous wife Irene (Lulu), who prefers the company of younger men. Harold reveals a knack for performing tricks and changes all their lives.

Critics Reviews

View All (10) Critics Reviews
Geoff Pevere Toronto Star If you're looking for an industrial-strength dose of twinkly twaddle, here's your hypo. Nov 2, 2001 Full Review Ray Conlogue Globe and Mail A predictable pudding of a love story surrounded by a lot of over-tweaked, overcooked nonsense. Rated: 1.5/4 Nov 2, 2001 Full Review George Perry BBC.com There are some excellent digs at television's enduring capacity for trivialising serious issues. Rated: 3/5 Jun 5, 2001 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 5, 2005 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Rated: 3.5/5 Jul 25, 2002 Full Review Jim Slotek Jam! Movies There's just too much going on, too many cliches and too little insight. Nov 2, 2001 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (45) audience reviews
Audience Member This was like finding a hidden gem. Offbeat and original, whimsical, quirky and humorous, Whatever Happened? is a smallish but lovingly made film that deals with relationships of all kinds...boyfriend/girlfriend, husband/wife, sibling/sibling, employer/employee but it's more than that. There's a bit of magic thrown in besides, and best of all I felt better after watching it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Light hearted, good humoured and entertaining. Excellent soundtrack if you are old enough to remember punk! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member In a nutshell this movie was a breath of fresh air, it provided a great soundtrack, wonderful acting, a touching story and a wonderful cast, but the best thing were the surprise chuckles, a diamond of a film, get it watched! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Odd and silly. Very, very odd...and silly. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Set in yorkshire in the 70s - Great script and had me laughing all the way through Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Never really felt like I got this movie - seemed to me that it was an inside joke & I was not on the inside. The father is extremely dull & the youngest son idolises him, & the film deals more with the younger son & his attempts to crack on to the office spunk. The father reveals a talent that lands him in a whole lot of trouble. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Eighteen-year-old Vince (Michael Legge) is obsessed with disco, until his world turns upside down when he falls in love with an exotic punk, not realizing that she is Joanna (Laura Fraser), his workmate in a solicitor's office. Meanwhile, Vince's father Harold (Tom Courtenay) passes his retirement in front of the television, being ignored by his still-glamorous wife Irene (Lulu), who prefers the company of younger men. Harold reveals a knack for performing tricks and changes all their lives.
Director
Peter Hewitt
Producer
David Brown, Ruth Jackson
Screenwriter
Ben Steiner
Distributor
USA Films
Production Co
October Films, West Eleven Films
Rating
R (Some Sexual Content|Language)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 15, 2001, Wide
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)