I'm not sure how well I can articulate the ways in which this movie disappoints me. I'll throw out some random thoughts, and see if they lead me in the direction of a coherent opinion.
There's a difference between a "free spirit" and a "loose cannon"; Maude definitely struck me as the latter. I imagine an alternate ending wherein the doctors save Maude's life after she takes the tablets, but while at the hospital she's arrested for multiple auto theft. Faced with spending years in prison (although she's 80, she's in good health), she suffers a complete loss of composure and/or a breakdown, and Harold sees how Maude's "independence" is actually a reckless disregard for the rights of others.
Everyone in the movie is a caricature rather than a character, but since that's so blatantly obvious I can't fault the movie for it. I figure it must be deliberate. Still, the scene where Harold breaks down in his shrink's office makes me suspect that there IS supposed to be some depth to Harold, but the writer didn't develop it. Harold IS more than merely "eccentric", he's truly disturbed, and it would take more than his adventures with Maude to bring him any sort of peace. If, as I assume we are expected to, we end up seeing his analyst/therapist/whatever as a buffoon on an equal footing with the mother, the uncle, and the priest, I can only say that THIS doctor may be a fool, but Harold STILL needs professional help.
Perhaps, after Harold drives his car off the cliff, he goes back home and calls Sunshine. She may be a flaky actress wannabe, but she was the one who SAW THROUGH Harold's staged suicide, and was willing to play along. From her OWN death-scene it appears that Sunshine is a very BAD actress, though, so perhaps that's why Harold shunned her.
All this being said, I personally wasn't troubled by the "ick" factor of Harold and Maude consummating their love. I wouldn't PERSONALLY have found Maude sexually appealing when I was his age, but I credit Harold with recognizing that true love and passion have very little to do with the beauty of our bodies and much to do with the beauty of our minds.
There's a difference between a "free spirit" and a "loose cannon"; Maude definitely struck me as the latter. I imagine an alternate ending wherein the doctors save Maude's life after she takes the tablets, but while at the hospital she's arrested for multiple auto theft. Faced with spending years in prison (although she's 80, she's in good health), she suffers a complete loss of composure and/or a breakdown, and Harold sees how Maude's "independence" is actually a reckless disregard for the rights of others.
Everyone in the movie is a caricature rather than a character, but since that's so blatantly obvious I can't fault the movie for it. I figure it must be deliberate. Still, the scene where Harold breaks down in his shrink's office makes me suspect that there IS supposed to be some depth to Harold, but the writer didn't develop it. Harold IS more than merely "eccentric", he's truly disturbed, and it would take more than his adventures with Maude to bring him any sort of peace. If, as I assume we are expected to, we end up seeing his analyst/therapist/whatever as a buffoon on an equal footing with the mother, the uncle, and the priest, I can only say that THIS doctor may be a fool, but Harold STILL needs professional help.
Perhaps, after Harold drives his car off the cliff, he goes back home and calls Sunshine. She may be a flaky actress wannabe, but she was the one who SAW THROUGH Harold's staged suicide, and was willing to play along. From her OWN death-scene it appears that Sunshine is a very BAD actress, though, so perhaps that's why Harold shunned her.
All this being said, I personally wasn't troubled by the "ick" factor of Harold and Maude consummating their love. I wouldn't PERSONALLY have found Maude sexually appealing when I was his age, but I credit Harold with recognizing that true love and passion have very little to do with the beauty of our bodies and much to do with the beauty of our minds.