Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Wild About Harry is a gay drama set in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 1973. It’s about a widowed father with two daughters starting a business with his male lover.
After the death of his wife, Harry (Tate Donovan) moves to Cape Cod with his two teenage daughters, Madeline (Danielle Savre) and Daisy (Skye McCole Bartusiak) to open a business refurbishing old furniture. When they get there, the girls discover that their father is in business with Theodore Gibbs (Adam Pascal) and that Mr. Gibbs is going to be living with them.
One night Madeline and Daisy go out with some friends from school. They decide to head into Provincetown, a gay vacation locale, to go to a gay club. While on the dance floor, Madeline sees her father dancing with Mr. Gibbs.
Upset and confused, Madeline keeps her discovery a secret while trying to set her father up with some of the local women. When Harry gets outed, drama ensues.
Some Thoughts:
Wild About Harry is on par with a made for TV Christmas movie. The script is poorly written, and the acting is bad. There are basic aspects of the story that are never discussed. For instance, when did Harry’s wife die? How did he meet Theodore? Has Harry always had an interest in restoring furniture? What did he do for a living before his wife passed away? And why do all the restaurants have people dressed in colonial costumes? Honestly, why?
Since Harry is going into business with Theodore, and the business seems to be up and running when Harry and his daughters arrive, I can only assume Theodore got it going prior to Harry’s arrival. The problem with that is nobody in town knows who Theodore is.
Despite the bad acting, Harry’s inner turmoil from living in the closet feels honest. Having the single local women swarm over the two “bachelors” is also realistic, as is the drama that ensues when they get outed.
The film does a good job representing the 1970s. The cars, furniture, clothing all look authentic. The attitude Harry’s daughters have about the LGBT community are also true to the period, as is the lack of informative literature. And even though the story is not well executed, it’s worthy of being told.
The Final Verdict:
Wild About Harry is a made for TV special disguised as a feature film. It’s not the worst thing I’ve seen, but I can’t recomend it.