Harry and Tonto (1974)

Paul Mazursky's bittersweet film on the cross-country odyssey of man nearing the end of life sometimes crosses the line into sentimentality, but it features an Academy Award-winning performance by Art Carney in what is likely his finest role. Septuagenarian widower Harry (Carney) decides to visit friends and relatives across America after learning that his New York City apartment building is about to be razed. As he touches on these links with his past, he is sobered by the changes time has wrought. As with the handicapped, there is often a degree of dishonesty in presenting aged people as the central characters of a film or dramatic work. Incapable of initiating significant action, they usually serve as symbolic lightning rods for the filmmakers' guilt, reminding the rest of us what punishment they are forced to absorb at our hands. To some extent, this is the case with Mazursky's film, which rather than exploring Harry's relationships with his wife, children, and friends, makes him seem like a nice man who a number of unhappy and ungrateful people have failed to appreciate. This somehow rings false. The truest and most moving part of the film is the first section, which offers a window on both the tentative relationships and painful isolation of old age. Carney gives a miraculous performance as the retired schoolteacher, slightly bewildered by novel experiences, yet always sensible and resilient. Ellen Burstyn is also excellent as his unhappy daughter, as is Geraldine Fitzgerald as a former lover. The strong cast includes Larry Hagman, Cliff De Young, Herbert Berghof, Melanie Mayron, and Josh Mostel. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide