Product Details
ASIN : 6303801919
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.ca
This satirical thriller is set in the US, sometime in the future, when society ensures that everyone is equal by forcibly suppressing intelligence and talent (e.g., gifted dancers are forced to wear weights on the their feet). Harrison Bergeron (Sean Astin) is a smart teen whose intelligence is initially seen as a threat to the status quo. However, he's recruited into a secret organization of geniuses (led by Christopher Plummer) who are the real, unsuspected rulers of society. The premise is a potentially interesting idea, but there's a feeling the story (based on a Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. story) wasn't substantial enough to sustain a feature-length film. That said, the movie would make an intriguing double bill with the (better) film, Gattaca--an almost exact reversal of Harrison Bergeron. Miranda de Pencier plays a member of the inner circle with whom Astin falls in love, and others in the cast include Buck Henry and Nigel Bennett. There are also notable cameos from John Astin (Sean's real life dad) and Eugene Levy. --D.K. Latta
Customer Reviews
Move over Regain. Eugene (nuke-em) Levy is the President. (2006-09-10)  This movie paints a (1950's like) world where everyone is equal, as opposed to everyone having equal opportunity. Naturally Harrison is not content with his world. He is earmarked and recruited for the elite job of taking care of items that can not be handled by the "equal." He finds unique ways to handle the situation that were not anticipated by his new colleagues. No fair comparing this great made-for-TV-movie with Kurt Vonnegut's short story as this is a made-for-TV movie. I like made-for -TV- movies as they have to show the story and purpose with out a lot of glitz. Speaking of concepts, most people want to compare this movie to "1984" (1985). However the message is quite different. If you are going to do comparisons to similar concepts then you need to read "This Perfect Day: A Novel " by Ira Levin, which is almost the same story. Maybe "Brave new World" for the equal but really not train of thought. After you look at similar concepts you should look at the opposite argument in "Gattaca". It is too bad that this movie is rated "R", as it is ideal for teens, there are no au naturel scenes, and who uses expletives in the 1950's? The end may be a little graphic however it is very mild compared to most of toady's movies. Any way it is best viewed while in the process of forming world opinions.
the gw bush administration (2004-04-19) I loved this flick when i saw it years ago. it carries the basic theme of vonnegut's short story, but the plot uses A LOT of discretion to depart from the (rather simple) premise of the story). i think it still works well though. if you havent seen it and plan to (you should), pay attention to the president character. i always think of that character when i see george w bush's decision making.
"And that's the way it is." (2004-03-08) This movie held my attention all the way through.This movie has many scenes which remind me of real life today, not just in the vague future. The head bands and school scenes remind me of how many teachers sometimes don't let their students grow. The head clubs remind me that if you want a challenge and to grow, you have to go out there and get it, sometimes overcoming obstacles along the way. Then there is the strange philosophy of those in the innermost circle of the people running everyones' lives. Some people really are more equal. Then there is finding that special someone to share your life and interests. The piano and sax scenes were very moving. The ending is a bit hokey, and shows hopelessness, but then just a glimmer returns.
Mediocre Adaptation of Vonnegut Short Story to a Film (2003-06-26)  Kurt Vonnegut is an American icon and is perhaps best known for novel, "Slaughter House Five," a novel of societal criticism. One of his better-celebrated pieces of writing is a short story of just a few pages called "Harrison Bergeron." This 1995 movie is a 99-minute adaptation of that brief short story. In a nut shell the story doesn't survive well as a film. At best, the poor quality of acting and "made-for-television" film made a good short story into a film that is mediocre at best. The ideas of the film and short story, of course, are very good, but this adaptation doesn't communicate Vonnegut's ideas very well. -------------------------------------------------- FILM PLOT: The film's plot revolves around the question of human equality, happiness and how to achieve it. In a society of the future after a Second American Revolution, the United States has followed a course towards human equality by making everyone into the lowest common denominator. This dark future United States achieves this equality by a program of directed breeding (When breeding for superior qualities, it's called eugenics, maybe it's called "malgenics" or "dysgenics" when purposely breeding for less capable characteristics?) and where directed breeding doesn't work, citizens where special mind control collars that handicap their intelligences to a point where everyone has about the same level of brain power. In this dark future, students are encouraged to be average and seek "C" grades. Predictably, Harrison Bergeron has such a high IQ that his mind control collar cannot effectively inhibit his intelligence and he must make a choice between a surgery similar to a lobotomy or disappear from society. ACTING: Despite having an all-star cast of comedians such as Buck Henry, Howie Mandell, Andrea Martin, and Eugene Levy, the film isn't very funny. At best it's a dark comedy. The film's regular cast of Sean Astin (Rudy), Christopher Plummer (Wolf), Miranda de Pencier (Sea of Love) is good, but overall put forward an uninspiring performance. Without a doubt, the best scene of the film is Eugene Levy's portrayal of a dimwitted president of the future and I don't say president elect because in the film, presidents are chosen randomly from among the people. Levy as a foul-mouthed former steel worker turned president faces a crisis of a threatening foreign power acquiring WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction). He, in a very simple and humorous manner, tells the foreign power using plenty of curse words, as all steel workers do of course, that if they don't destroy their WMDs that he will nuke them and then gives them a 5-minute deadline... The scene's resolution is incredibly funny. FILM QUALITY: The actual quality of the film is good, but the film was shot in such a manner that it appears to be a "made-for-television" movie. The cast of many B-grade actors reinforces this idea. Parts of the film appear to have been edited to be able to fit in commercial breaks. STYLE: For all that the film suffered from a mediocre adaptation of a short story to a film, the style of the film was outstanding. The regular "equal" people of the film all appear to be trapped in the conformity of the 1950s, houses, clothing, school, etc. Special effects in the film were also very well done. The mind control collars (actually headbands) looked like real science fiction artifacts although they made the actors of the film look like they're wearing orthodontic appliances. AUTHENTICITY: The short story and this film are two very different beasts. In the short story, Harrison Bergeron is giant, something that Sean Astin could never portray. While the film features Miranda de Pencier as a love interest for Astin / Bergeron, the short story features no such character. The film adds numerous such details that the short story does not. Apparently, Kurt Vonnegut participated in the making of the film, but that's hard to believe since the film seems so little like Vonnegut's ideas and writing. Maybe Vonnegut needed a little money? COMMENTS: Kurt Vonnegut is ultimately about counterculture as are many writers who matured (or didn't) in the 1960s. The world then was in a very precarious state of change with the Vietnam War, presidents being assassinated, the race to space, and so many other unsettling events. Many of the writers of the period have very cynical view of life and Vonnegut is no exception. I find him very pessimistic and prefer much lighter fare or a more optimistic view of societal problems than Vonnegut forwards. -------------------------------------------------- I mildly recommend this movie at best and suggest the following films and novels that discuss similar themes (and do a better job of it!) instead: NOVELS and FILMS: - "Utopia" by Thomas More- "1984" by George Orwell - "The Giver" by Lois Lowry- "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan
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