Editing Harold and Maude (section)

==Reception==
===Critical response===
At the time of its release, ''Harold and Maude'' received mixed reviews, with several critics being offended by the film's [[black comedy|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."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/harold-and-maude-1972 |title=Harold and Maude |first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |year=1972 |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=2011-09-08 |via=[[RogerEbert.com]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014034852/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19720101%2FREVIEWS%2F201010313 |archive-date=2012-10-14 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[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."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/12/21/archives/screen-harold-and-maude-and-lifehal-ashbys-comedy-opens-at-coronet.html |title=Screen: 'Harold and Maude' and Life: Hal Ashby's Comedy Opens at Coronet; Ruth Gordon, Bud Cort Star as Odd Couple |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |first=Vincent |last=Canby |author-link=Vincent Canby |date=December 21, 1971}}</ref>

===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."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/harold_and_maude |title=Harold and Maude |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=June 4, 2024}}</ref>

In 2013, the [[Writers Guild of America]] ranked the screenplay number 86 on its list of the "101 Greatest Screenplays" ever written.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=1807 |title=101 Greatest Screenplays |publisher=[[Writers Guild of America West]] |access-date=February 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820064446/http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=1807 |archive-date=August 20, 2013}}</ref>

In ''[[Sight & Sound]]''{{'s}} [[The Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2012|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!"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people//sightandsoundpoll2012/voter/920|title=Cyrus Frisch|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818094846/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/sightandsoundpoll2012/voter/920|archive-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite news |last=Caro |first=Mark |title=A Movie Date With My Younger Self |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/movies/a-movie-date-with-my-younger-self.html |date=March 24, 2017 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

===Accolades===
{{anchor|Honors|Awards}}
At the [[29th Golden Globe Awards]], Cort and Gordon were nominated as [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor]] and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy]], respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=Harold and Maude |url=https://goldenglobes.com/film/harold-and-maude/ |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=14 December 2023}}</ref>

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]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/film/titles.html |title=National Film Registry list of films 1989–2006 |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date=2011-09-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=New to the National Film Registry |work=Library of Congress Information Bulletin |date=December 1997 |volume=56 |number=17 |url=https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9712/nfr.html |access-date=2020-10-13}}</ref>

In September 2008, ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' ranked ''Harold and Maude'' number 65 on their list of the "500 Greatest Movies of All Time".<ref>{{cite magazine| title = Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time (numbers 73–64)|magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |url= http://www.empireonline.com/500/85.asp |date=November 2008 |access-date= 2011-08-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308194419/http://www.empireonline.com/500/85.asp |archive-date=2012-03-08}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' ranked the film number four on their 2003 list of "The Top 50 Cult Films".<ref name="EWCult">{{cite magazine | title = The Top 50 Cult Films | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | date = May 23, 2003}}</ref>

====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.<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-laughs/ |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=2016-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624052741/http://afi.com/Docs/100Years/laughs100.pdf |archive-date=2016-06-24 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-passions/ |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=2016-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150603/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/passions100.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2006, the film ranked number 89 on [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers]], recognizing the most inspiring films.<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-cheers/ |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=2016-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150511/https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/cheers100.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2008, AFI revealed its [[AFI's 10 Top 10|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.<ref>{{cite web | title = AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres |website=[[ComingSoon.net]] |date=2008-06-18 |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/46072-afi-crowns-top-10-films-in-10-classic-genres |access-date=2008-06-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080818100312/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46072 |archive-date=2008-08-18 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 10 Top 10 |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-10-top-10/ |publisher=[[American Film Institute]] |access-date=June 4, 2024}}</ref>