Here is an interesting indie production which feels like an adapted stage play. It certainly wanders along like one and must be the slowest 94 minutes I have ever spent in a cinema. The film has excellent dialog and some terrific acting, especially from the guest professionals John Savage, Aiden Quinn and Campbell Scott. Steve Buscemi also appears with main actor Jamey Sheridan who has no chance of stardom until he spells his name properly. A 50 year old actor called Jamey? no. Sorry. Also HANDSOME HARRY is completely the wrong title for this film. basically it is about unrequited love and in this case between reminiscences and a possible crime of passion. While I admired the skill in creating such a well populated acting roster, the editing and the story sequence became mired in being a vanity project for Sheridan who appears in 95% of the film and is also the Exec Producer. Conscious of this from the opening credits, I felt the film dragged in order for him to have great long scenes with the more famous actors he hired to be seen on screen with. Fortunately all the scenes are good but they are all-so-slowwwwww and the film becomes tedious. Also, the final sequences with Campbell Scott come far too late in the film to have the real impact they should. The sequence with John Savage is by far the best and proves what a major actor he still is. I wanted to like this well made and very well written and acted film more but it negates itself by being 15 minutes too long. If edited to a tighter 80 minutes it would have flowed better and got to the point quicker. Also the Teenage sailor sequences needed to all happen at the start of the film rather than being in glimpses scattered throughout.
Review of Handsome Harry
