similar movies?

These are going to be all over the place, but...

for dark humour, I say "Heathers". It's fantastically
funny and morbid.

For the life affirming zany artistic type, I'll say
"The Horse's Mouth".

For no reason at all, I'll say "Almost Famous".
It's funny, it's romantic, its... a long shot, but
give it a try.

For similarities sake, being beautifully shot and with
a wonderful soundtrack, I'll say "The Graduate".

And finaly, for stylized visuals with quirky characters,
odd humour, misguided romance, and wonderful music
I'll say "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Rushmore".
You might want to give "The Life Aquatic" a go as well,
it even has Bud Cort in it!

Harold and Maude is so unique it is very difficult to really say anything is 'similar'.

But two quirky love stories I like are:

'Amelie' for general off-beat humor, great visual style, and a very quirky heroine.

'Wristcutters', and indie romantic comedy with suicide as its main plot device. And a terrific performance from the great Tom Waits!




Let's never come here again because it would never be as much fun.

Happy Accidents.

I'm not even sure why it reminds me of Harold and Maude, but it does. It's unusual, and low-key.

"My First Mister" is generally referred to as an unofficial remake of "Harold and Maude", with Albert Brooks in the Maude role and Leelee Sobieski (sp?) in the role of Harold. It's worth a look, for sure.

"Harold . . . That was your last date!"

Driving Lessons is a film about a younger boy (living with his overbearing--religious--mother) who becomes the caretaker or like a person who does odd jobs for an older woman who is sort of crazy and teaches him about life. Not nearly as good as Harold and Maude, but you should watch it at least once.

Being There is by the same director and there are definite similarities. You may enjoy it, if you enjoyed H + M.

And as already mentioned, Wes Anderson's movies are heavily influenced by Hal Ashby. The Darjeeling Limited is my favorite and has a very similar theme. It's about getting over death and remembering how to live.

For some reason Fight Club. I noticed it was mentioned in a couple of the first reviews up as well. Probably because they meet while attending bizarre events (cancer support groups when they don't have cancer/funerals where they know no-one), but I think the films share some of the same themes and views too. Possibly not the mood though....

Who wants an Orange Whip? Orange Whip? Orange Whip? Three Orange Whips!!

"Bad Santa" (2003) with Billy Bob Thornton. It's dark, but has a good mix of humor and unexpected emotional moments, too.

"Amelie" (2001) has been my favorite movie since it came out. Great cinematography, music, storyline and actors! (And it's best watching it in French with subtitles so you don't lose the humor in their words.)

"About a Boy" (2002) with Hugh Grant. The ending has a pretty neat message. Not your regular movie.