In fact, the story is mostly about his younger son Vince (Michael Legge ) and hardly about Harold Smith (Tom Courtenay) at all. And it's only at the end that we can even understand why screen time is given to episodes in the father's life.In addition to Courtenay's endearing performance, veterans Stephen Fry and David Thewlis contribute the best of the comedic acting, in what is otherwise an aimless, meandering tale that did not need to be told.It's actually young Vince's story, and a wispy one at that: Boy meets girl, boy fails to impress girl, boy finally overcomes himself and wins her at last. This meager theme is padded with several subplots whose only function seems to be providing more situations for the bedevilment and humiliation of Vince and Harold.Early scenes establish – and succeeding scenes repeat – various comic (?) humiliations and embarrassments of both father and son. Though not of the grisly sort, these episodes are mean-spirited enough (on the part of the characters) to make an empathetic viewer vicariously uncomfortable. This is offset somewhat by the sweetness of Harold and of Vince's affection for him.*Possible spoiler in next paragraph* For most of the film I wondered why we are being told both men's stories. What is the connection? Near the end we finally find out. At a time of crisis, the mild-mannered dad, using his paranormal powers, intervenes to support his son in standing up for himself and his happiness.The story seems to be a parable, with the moral that one should stand up for one's individuality and not be pushed around by various kinds of bullies, including inadvertent ones. An admirable theme, but better scripted in other works, and an under-use of good talent here, in my opinion.Noticing this title on a used-video sales list, I first checked some IMDb viewer comments. On the strength of their praise I bought the video and was looking forward to being amused, bemused, charmed, and more. This shouldn't have been difficult, since I'm easily entertained and enjoy many kinds of humor (except those that seek to disgust, demean, damage or hurt). And I generally love British humor, not to mention offbeat fantasies and sci-fi.But (apart from Courtenay) nothing stellar to report here. Humorwise, I can't understand other reviewers' classing it in the same league as The Full Monty. No comparison, in my opinion! Monty had me in guffaws throughout; Harold only one short "ha!" of surprise and a few smiles. At the other end of the spectrum is that British specialty combination of droll absurdity and sweetness. As to this, Courtenay delivers, but it's overwhelmed by a greater amount of noisy straining at stale youth and romance bits. Some of Stephen Fry's odd minor character's pronouncements were insightfully absurd -- that is, excellent at capturing the absurdity of a certain type of individual -- but added up to a person I would much rather not be around –- or even watch on a screen.This is the first time I've posted a negative review. Normally I'm the less critical sort who gives the benefit of the doubt and extra points for good intentions. Sad to say, that was just too big a stretch for me this time. For me this was a very rare 6 out of 10.

There are a lot of negatives written about this film. I think people get upset over things that, let's face it, don't really matter much. Who cares if punks are not portrayed very well, or cars arn't painted as perhaps they should be? Tom Courtney is brilliant in this, It's a bit of fun for goodness sake. No boys with their toys, no posing hard guys, no f***k me when you're ready females, there just for decoration. Hey! no wonder a lot of guys don't like it much, how dare somebody make a film that deviates from the same tired old formula!! Myself? I enjoyed it. Of course it's not 'art,' just entertainment, and all the better for it in my view.

SPOILERS Always an amusement, generations will always tell each other how great an era was. Whether a man truly thrives as a hippy in the 1960s or whether he's a punk in the 1970s, the one thing which can nearly always be seen is that he remembers that time fondly. It's films like "Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?" which try to latch onto this. Giving a strong impression that writer Ben Steiner grew up as a Disco Enthusiast in the 1970s, the film has raised questions about accuracy. Punks might complain about the strong criticism of them, but whether the film is accurate, or whether it's ridiculously one sided, the one thing which should not be questioned is that you'll come out of this film feeling cheerful.Harold Smith (Tom Courtenay) is a family man who likes to watch television and never causes anyone any trouble. With a constantly cheating wife (Lulu), a magician son (Matthew Rhys) and a younger son in love (Michael Legge), Smith seems to leave a relatively normal life. This changes however when it is discovered that Smith possesses magical powers and becomes a figure of media curiosity.Told from the point of view of younger son Vince (Legge), "Whatever Happened to Harold Smith" is a great film which is deep down really about following your dreams and being happy. In love with punk fan Joanna (Laura Fraser), Vince spends the film trying to win the girl whilst finding himself in a era when people seemed to be either punks or disco fans. Whilst the story has minor subplots (Stephen Fry's change from science into religion is brilliant), it's this idea that we should never be afraid to fight for what we want which really makes us smile.In majority, the cast performs adequately. Legge, Courtney and Fraser shine, whilst James Corden as Legge's friend Walter is at times superb. All in all, the only real criticism in the acting is Lulu. Whilst an acceptable musician in a time gone by, sadly Lulu has never really been much good at acting, and in this film she confirms it with a vague performance as Courtney's cheating wife.Any film which has a soundtrack containing disco and punk is going to sound questionable. Somehow though, "Whatever Happened to Harold Smith?" manages this easily. Switching from the high pitched tones of the BeeGees through to the heavier tones of the Clash, the film succeeds in playing songs by most of the major artists of the time. On a personal note, it's finest soundtrack moment is when towards the end we witness a punk band joining into a well known BeeGees song. This should be awful and it should be shocking, but the band manages to put just enough instrumental into it that we get a superb little scene which lasts in the memory.If you weren't there, you aren't going to know how truly accurate this film is. For some it might be a nice reflection of a time they loved, whilst for others it might be completely false and insulting. As a film though, the plot is designed to leave a smile on the face and it manages this rather well, whether historically accurate or not.

This film is absolutey delightful, a combination of a well-written and hilarious script, and some amazing art direction. Every scene in this movie presents its audience with an eyeful of imaginative staging. If you liked the movie The Royal Tennenbaums, see this... its more funny and even more visually rich.