Jazmin Gonzalez

English 2010
Love a Grandma
I know many young people wouldn't consider watching a movie rom 1!"1# there
aren't any special eects and the $uality isn't up to today's standards% &ut that should not
deter you rom giving 'arold and (aude a shot) I was 1" years old when I watched
'arold and (aude or the irst time) I didn't think that I would en*oy the ilm% &ut hearing
that it was a&out a young man who alls in love with an +0 year old woman% I was
intrigued) ,his isn't *ust an -opposites attract- ilm% it is much more than that# It.s a&out a
young man inding purpose in lie)
'arold and (aude /1!"10 was shot in the 1an 2rancisco 3ay 4rea% at the estate o
'arold's mother /5ivian 6ickles0) 'arold /3ud 7ort0 is a lonely% depressed teen who tries
to get the attention o his unaectionate mother &y staging ela&orate suicide attempts) 'is
mother tries to control his lie# she sets him up dates &ut ater he scares all the girls away
with his suicide attempts she starts giving up) 'arold takes pleasure in attending unerals
and driving a hearse around town% that is until his mother gets rid o it and &uys him a
Jaguar /which he then turns into a mini hearse0) 4t a uneral 'arold meets (aude /8uth
Gordon0 an eccentric% kind spirited "! year old woman) 'arold alls in love with her% not
even knowing her a week) ,his o course &rought on a lot o reprehension rom his
amily% psychiatrist and his priest)
1ome people may not like 'al 4sh&y's /director0 humor% sta rom -5ariety
(agazine- ind it dark and maca&re% stating that%-'arold and (aude has all the un and
gaiety o a &urning orphanage)- I on the otherhand ind it $uite unny and intriguing) ,he
movie wasn't trying to promote death &ut to promote lie and love even under the
strangest o circumstances) I think that this ilm depicts love not as &eing physically
attracted to someone &ut alling in love with 9': a person is) (aude helped 'arold
&reak ree rom his &leak meaningless lie% *ust &y &eing hersel around him) 1he
essentially taught him how to live% how to love% and how to love how to live and in return
he added a new e;perience to her already vast collection)
,he soundtrack to the movie is almost entirely done &y 7at 1tevens% who
composed two songs solely or the ilm# -<on't &e shy- and -I you want to sing out sing
out- /one o his more popular songs0) ,he songs stick to you as you watch the movie%
they intensiy the eeling o the movie) 9ith -I you want to sing out% sing out- you
noticed that it is played multiple times during the movie% this song is there to show you
that you should em&race lie and &e open and ree# directed toward harold and his *ourney
to sel discovery) I thought that having *ust one artist do the soundtrack or a movie was a
&ad idea% &ut not in this case) 7at 1tevens sets the mood almost perectly with every song%
it wouldn't &e the same without him) 9hat I didn't like a&out the movie is how the
roughly incorporated the concentration camp tattoo on (aude's arm into the movie% I
ound it unnecessary and could have &een done without that scene) I though en*oy
(aude's character very much though# she is very eccentric and lively with a hint o crazy)
,he way she handles the world ater everything that she has &een through is amazing# she
appreciates what she has and doesn't &elieve we should &e so attached to worldly
possessions% I I go around stealing cars and modeling nude when I'm +0% she will
deinitely &e my inspiration)
I recommend this movie to anyone into dark comedy romantic cult movies% or
anyone or that matter) I also highly recommend it to young people% it doesn't.t matter
that it.s a =0> year old ilm% it still connects with teens today% it is very unny and weird) I
think that makes this movie great even though there isn't any cool special eects) ,he
emotional rollarcoster that you go through is worth it% seeing the characters grow and
change% it makes you realize how much one person can aect your lie) -'arold and
(aude- is a movie that I &elieve should &e watched &y our youth today% it has teenage
pro&lems that they can relate to and hopeully learn rom) Lie is worth loving)