"I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years, doctor, and I’m happy to state
I finally won out over it.”Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) is a good-natured gentleman and frequent drinker whose best friend Harvey is an invisible rabbit that stands a little over six feet tall. Everyone naturally assumes he’s crazy. His sister Veta, worried about the family’s social standing, attempts to have him locked away in a sanitarium.
Elwood P. Dowd is soft-spoken and disarming, and so is this movie, which keeps audiences guessing as to whether Harvey is a figment of Elwood’s eccentric mind or really does exist.
I watched this with my book club and realized just how much I had forgotten, including how laugh-out-loud funny it is. I also didn't realize just how pertinent one of the main messages would be in modern times: how little we listen to each other and what misunderstandings that can cause. I also loved how much Elwood paid attention to each person who came across his path. This is shown in several ways but never more than his response when someone accepts a dinner invitation. What makes Harvey great is the fact that it’s equally enjoyable as a piece of comedic fluff and as slyly intelligent social commentary.
Years ago I wouldn't have had to put this in a "movie you might have missed" category but no one in the book club had seen it except for the hostess who chose it and me. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and there was a lot of laughter through the entire movie. It's time to watch — or rewatch — this classic.
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