Movie · 1955 · Comedy, Mystery · 1h 39m · PG · English
Curator score: 5.3/10 (84.9K ratings)
A different kind of kick-the-bucket comedy!
Overview
The trouble with Harry is that he’s dead. In a quiet Vermont village, a corpse creates unexpected chaos as several townspeople each believe they may be to blame.
Ratings
Curator score: 5.3/10
IMDb: 7.0/10
Letterboxd: 3.47/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Metacritic: 74
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Production
Alfred J. Hitchcock Productions
Cast
John Forsythe, Shirley MacLaine, Edmund Gwenn, Mildred Natwick, Mildred Dunnock, Jerry Mathers, Royal Dano, Parker Fennelly, Barry Macollum, Dwight Marfield, Leslie Woolf, Philip Truex, Ernest Curt Bach, Alfred Hitchcock
Curator Review
Verdict
A charmingly offbeat Hitchcock detour: more mild-mannered black comedy than suspense machine, with gorgeous autumnal Vermont visuals and a deadpan sense of absurdity. It’s worth watching if you enjoy elegant, lightly macabre comedies, but some viewers may find the pace too gentle for the premise.
Best for
Hitchcock completists
fans of dry black comedy
viewers who like small-town eccentricity
people drawn to autumnal atmosphere and classic studio craftsmanship
Skip if
you want Hitchcock at maximum suspense
you prefer fast-paced plotting
you need the premise pushed into full farce
you dislike quiet, mannered 1950s comedies
Overview
The Trouble with Harry is one of Hitchcock’s strangest gambles: a corpse in the woods, a village full of suspects, and almost no interest in conventional suspense. Instead of tightening the screws, Hitchcock lets the film drift through polite conversation, deadpan reactions, and a surprisingly cozy New England mood. The result is less a thriller than a comic pastoral with a body problem.
Worth noting
What lingers most is the look of it: crisp autumn colors, carefully composed frames, and a sense that the whole town is slightly out of step with reality. The humor is sly rather than explosive, and the film’s refusal to behave like a standard mystery is part of its appeal. It can feel underpowered if you come expecting a sharper black-comedy payoff, but the oddball tone is exactly what makes it memorable.
Bottom line
This is a minor Hitchcock for some, but a very distinctive one. It’s best approached as a tonal experiment: elegant, dry, and faintly mischievous, with Shirley MacLaine making an auspicious screen debut and the director clearly enjoying the chance to play against expectation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Karsten (3.5★) · 800 likes
hitchcock, but silly
Josh Lewis (3★) · 427 likes
not sure he mines the darkly funny premise to its fullest potential (the whole thing is just a bit too quiet and warm considering almost every character thinks they've murdered someone) but it's a gorgeously made little comedy from hitchcock with beautiful new england autumn colors.
Two Cineasts (4★) · 333 likes
"You're not supposed to burry bodies whenever you find them. It makes people suspicious."(John Forsythe as Sam Marlowe)
SHIRLEY MACLAINES DEBUT IN HITCHCOCKS NEARLY ONLY PURE COMEDY
Bilge Ebiri (4★) · 229 likes
Had forgotten how utterly gorgeous this one is. If Hitchcock’s name weren’t on it, I wonder if it would now be considered some kind of bizarro cult classic. The pleasant Vermont setting crossed with all the philosophical rumination and the absurdist storyline certainly feels like a thing.
Ethan Colburn (2.5★) · 212 likes
Thank you Something Someone for the recommendation!! (Please vote in his Hitchcock Tournament if you have a moment)
This is Hitchcock out of his element. No blondes, no stars, and no suspense. I appreciate him trying something new, but the film doesn’t come together. It has ideas but it ultimately the plot isn’t quite enough to carry and tie them together. The character’s lack of care for the body adds the odd chuckle here and there, but ultimately it feels like no… more
1936 · Comedy · 1h 35m · NR · Curator 9.2/10 (28.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Pure Flix, FlixFling, IndieFlix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
A screwball comedy with social satire and a fondness for eccentric behavior in a tidy, polished package.