Wild About Harry (2021) Film Review
“It’s definitely a rare case of two worlds coming together”.
It’s what I kept thinking as I saw Wild About Harry, a 2009 film directed by Gwen Wynne I had the chance to see recently.
Rarely do family-friendly films endeavor in situations that aren’t common or what conservatives would label as “safe”. In Wild About Harry, love is the answer for overcoming slight difficulties. And even if the film goes for excessively innocent in terms of plot, the element of unconditional love is thoroughly used for resolution. And it works.
As few family-friendly films do while staying in an honest plane of characterization.
Wild About Harry is the endearing story of a family who move to Cape Cod to start over. A father with two teenage daughters. Their mother has passed away and now it’s only the three of them plus a friend of the father. Life in Cape Cod is different.
The oldest daughter encounters some resistance while blending in. One night when she goes out, it gets more strange for her. She sees her father partying with his new friend. And they are too close. Madeline has just found out the truth about her father.
Harry is in love with another man, and he has decided to bring him home. Madeline and Daisy aren’t ready, but this won’t be the only issue in their story. This is the 70s and this is a small town.
You would say the setting calls for drama. Excessive drama. But Wild About Harry is far from being an overbearing drama film about dealing with difficulties. The film is mainly told from Madeline’s perspective, which adds a bit of “coming of age” to the story (particularly this part works because of Danielle Savre’s good performance). She plays with teenage love, which is awkward from the get go, but seeing her father find love in a manner that’s nothing but bizarre, changes Madeline’s direction. This puts her out of track, and she becomes the center of the plot.
And this is no coincidence. The film’s based on Wynne’s own adolescence, and while the film allows for some fictionalization, much of what you see is based on facts. It’s the reason why the second half of Wild About Harry is focused mainly on the realistic outcome of the scrutinization of Harry’s capacity. The grandparents arrive and even though they come in close contact with the girls and the new member of the family, when they find out the men have a relationship, their reaction is almost violent.
Harry becomes a victim in a game that could seem outdated, but think of what happened in 2021 when the Supreme Court placed the Catholic Church as a relevant element in adoption matters. Wild About Harry becomes relevant with so little and it’s precisely what functions in the film’s spirit of kindness. It’s a family film that calls for discussion. It’s two subjects that aren’t usually mixed together because not everyone finds these stories are worth telling.
Wild About Harry is a natural film. One that plays smoothly in every scene, with every character (Tate Donovan plays Harry in a very heartwarming performance), and every truth spoken. It isn’t uncomfortable until someone decides Harry’s preferences make him unfit to be a loving and caring parent. It’s when questions arise, and then Wild About Harry turns from a naive film to one you will care about.
