This is a film about an old man and his cat. It’s also a bittersweet ode to aging. Harry Coombes (Art Carney, TV’s THE HONEYMOONERS) has been living in the same apartment in New York City for decades. The world is changing around him. He’s not bitter about it – he just soldiers through.
His best friends are Jacob Rivetowski (Hebert Berghof, 1963’s CLEOPATRA) and his pet cat Tonto. When his apartment building is set to be torn down, he is forced to move in with his son Burt (Philip Bruns, FLASHDANCE) and his family, which consists of Burt’s crabby wife Elaine (Dolly Jonah, only film performance), know-it-all hippie son Burt Jr. (Cliff De Young, GLORY) and son Norman (Josh Mostel, WALL STREET), who has taken a vow of silence as his new “thing.” This spurs Harry and Tonto’s wandering ways. They head off to Chicago to see Harry’s daughter Shirley (Ellen Burstyn, THE EXORCIST), who floats from one troubled marriage to the next. They eventually make it to California to see Harry’s down-on-his-luck playboy son, Eddie (Larry Hagman, TV’s DALLAS).
Along the way Harry and Tonto meet a host of interesting people, most notably runaway teen Ginger (Melanie Mayron, MY BLUE HEAVEN). The old man and young girl help each other get a chance at love from unexpected places. In Vegas, well, lets just say, Harry ends up in jail where he meets Sam Two Feathers (Chief Dan George, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES), an ancient Indian medicine doctor whose been locked up for practicing medicine without a license. Harry and Sam have a matter-of-fact conversation about TV and life that's hilarious.
The film is a meandering take on memory and experiencing new things. If the world is changing then Harry is going to change with it. The film is sad, funny and at times quite heartwarming. It’s definitely a product of the 1970s. Sometimes you think the film is just making Harry the “cool grandpa,” but Carney is too believable to be bothered with it. Carney’s performance is indistinguishable from his iconic role as Ed Norton. Whether or not he deserved the Oscar over Jack Nicholson in CHINATOWN or Al Pacino in THE GODFATHER: PART II could be argued against, but it is certain that Carney embodies the role and makes it alive. This is one of those films that make you smile underneath the tears. It also affirms living life to the fullest – at any age.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
