77
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThis time capsule from 1970 feels, in 1990, like a jolt of fresh air.
- 80The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyFilmed in 1969 but unreleased until 1989, Michael Roemer’s dyspeptic comedy, about a small-time gangster newly freed from prison, bares unhealed and unspoken wounds of New York Jewish life.
- 80Los Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonLos Angeles TimesMichael WilmingtonThe strength of “Harry” lies almost entirely in its unusual humanity, the depth of its social observations and its determination to draw everything--even the comic exaggerations--from life.
- 80Time OutTime OutIt may sound frantic, but in fact the plot takes a back seat to ironic observation.
- 75Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumPart of the grace and beauty of The Plot Against Harry stems from the fact that although it has at least three dozen characters and a complicated plot, it glides past the viewer with the greatest of ease.
- 75Washington PostHal HinsonWashington PostHal HinsonRoemer gives this tour of the chopped-liver circuit, with its bar mitzvahs and fashion shows and dog training classes, a bluesy, mordant spirit.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversOf course, such Sixties films as Goodbye, Columbus and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice have trampled over similar terrain. But few can boast Roemer’s light touch, brisk pacing and anarchic comic spirit. The passing of time has given The Plot Against Harry a lost-and-found quality that is both innocent and seductive.
- Well-acted, deftly written and directed, and expertly shot by Young, this darkly comic tale of a hapless small-time gangster is an engaging cinematic artifact that remains as fresh today as the day it was made.
- 63Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonYou're invited to fish for the comedy within the movie, within Harry's world, which happens to be falling apart around the hapless schlemiel's ears.