Critical response
At the time of its release, Harold and Maude received mixed reviews, with several critics being offended by the film's dark humor. Roger Ebert gave the film one-and-a-half out of four stars. He wrote, "And so what we get, finally, is a movie of attitudes. Harold is death, Maude life, and they manage to make the two seem so similar that life's hardly worth the extra bother. The visual style makes everyone look fresh from the Wax Museum, and all the movie lacks is a lot of day-old gardenias and lilies and roses in the lobby, filling the place with a cloying sweet smell. Nothing more to report today. Harold doesn't even make pallbearer."[22]
Vincent Canby of The New York Times also panned the film, stating that the actors "are so aggressive, so creepy and off-putting, that Harold and Maude are obviously made for each other, a point the movie itself refuses to recognize with a twist ending that betrays, I think, its life-affirming pretensions."[23]
Retrospective appraisal
The reputation of the film has since increased greatly. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 50 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Hal Ashby's comedy is too dark and twisted for some, and occasionally oversteps its bounds, but there's no denying the film's warm humor and big heart."[24]
In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked the screenplay number 86 on its list of the "101 Greatest Screenplays" ever written.[25]
In Sight & Sound's 2012 "Greatest Films of All Time" poll, Niki Caro, Wanuri Kahiu, and Cyrus Frisch voted for Harold and Maude. Frisch commented: "An encouragement to think beyond the obvious!"[26]
In 2017, Chicago Tribune critic Mark Caro wrote a belated appreciation, "I'm sorry, Harold and Maude, for denying you for so long. You're my favorite movie once again."[27]
Accolades
At the 29th Golden Globe Awards, Cort and Gordon were nominated as Best Actor and Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, respectively.[28]
The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1997, along with others deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress.[29][30]
In September 2008, Empire ranked Harold and Maude number 65 on their list of the "500 Greatest Movies of All Time".[31] Entertainment Weekly ranked the film number four on their 2003 list of "The Top 50 Cult Films".[32]
American Film Institute lists
Harold and Maude has repeatedly been ranked among the various lists compiled by the American Film Institute (AFI). In 2000. the film ranked number 45 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs, a list of the top 100 comedies.[33] Two years later, Harold and Maude ranked number 69 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions, honoring the greatest love stories of the past century.[34] In 2006, the film ranked number 89 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers, recognizing the most inspiring films.[35] In June 2008, AFI revealed its 10 Top 10, the 10 best films in 10 "classic" American film genres, placing Harold and Maude at number nine in the romantic comedy genre.[36][37]
