The movie theaters are being flooded with new and exciting movies. There’s Hangover, The Taking of Pelham 123, Land of the Lost, and (coming soon) Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. But all this action, all this drama, even all this humor, it can get tiring.

The world just seems full of excitement nowadays. And I say, sometimes, it’s good to just take a break and step back (or sit back, anyway) from it all. Oh, and watch a good ol’ classic. Like Harvey (1950).

This nostalgic classic is calm, simple, and delightful. But no worries, it still has intrigue, and romance, and even a chase. It also has an invisible 6 ft 3 ½ inches rabbit named Harvey!

This good ol’ classic is a black and white movie from the 50s. Jimmy Stewart (from It’s a Wonderful Life and Vertigo) plays the kind-hearted, mild-mannered, Elwood P. Dowd. He’s the happy friend of Harvey.

Elwood’s sister, a mildly eccentric woman herself, is devastated by Elwood’s newest friend. Every visitor she has is driven away by Elwood’s introduction and one-sided conversations with Harvey. At wits end, Elwood’s sister decides to have him committed.

Thus begins the delightful comedy of mix-ups, chance meetings that lead to romance, and one-sided chases throughout town. And the question on everyone’s mind is: is Harvey real?

Harvey is based off the play by Mary Chase (who also wrote the movie’s screenplay). The DVD release of Harvey has a brief introduction by Jimmy Stewart, telling of his experience filming Harvey and how much he loved it.

This movie is old school. It’s a classic that can’t be missed. It’s funny, delightful, and simple (which means calm). There’re no Autobots or crazy days in Las Vegas. Just a 6 ft 3 ½ inch invisible rabbit and the pleasant Elwood, who really means none of the trouble he accidentally causes. He’s all about being pleasant.

“Years ago, my mother used to say to me, she’d say: ‘In this world, Elwood,’ she always used to call me Elwood. ‘In this world, Elwood, you must be oh, so smart or oh, so pleasant.’ Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. And you can quote me.” – Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart)

You can’t beat a movie like this. And you definitely can’t beat the chance to just relax and watch a good, calm (pleasant!) movie.

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1950s, entertainment, Harvey, Jimmy Stewart, movies, relaxing