Art Carney deserved the Oscar for this cross country road movie. He and his cat travel from New York to LA during Xmas. Sentimental yes , but Carney's grounded performance keeps things real.

Carney big under-rated actor. Good movie.

Lots of small events around harry and tonto. But I don't remember what happened.

Reminiscent of (and possibly inspired by) Tokyo Story and Make Way for Tomorrow, Paul Mazursky's Harry and Tonto tells the story of Harry Combes (Art Carney), an elderly man who finds himself homeless after his New York City apartment is demolished. Along with his cat Tonto, he travels across the country to reunite with his children, along the way discovering that he may have more of a connection with the strangers he meets than with his immediate family. While the film doesn't really offer anything new, it features an Oscar-winning performance from Carney, an interesting supporting cast (including Geraldine Fitzgerald, Larry Hagman, Ellen Burstyn, etc.), a scenic road trip vibe, and an insightful script from Mazursky.

best old man and cat movie

A portrait of aging that brings you into Harry's decisions. Realistic yet funny. And no wonder Art Carney won an Oscar for best actor!

An old man is evicted from his condemned apartment building in New York City. Being a widower with an orange cat, he has three adult children, none of whom he can really live with. He tries flying to California, but he cannot take his cat through airport security, then takes a bus, but has to leave it when the cat needs to urinate, then hitchhikes and meets different people, then buys an old car, meeting his various children. The idea is good, but the movie is too slow-moving and bland, and has no particular point to it. Mildly entertaining but that is it.

the movie only gets this rating because of tonto the cat, can't believe Art Carney won a best actor oscar for this typical nice old man role over Al Pacino in his prime!

Really slow and really boring.

About Becoming old and confronting it. It was fun, touching and a good reminder of always being curious.

One of the great films of the 70s. I FIRST SAW THIS WHEN I WAS IN GRAD SCHOOL AND STILL YUNG. RE-WATCHING IT NOW AT 69, IT IS STILL AN OUTSTANDING FILM, BUT MY PERSPECTIVE ON IT IS JUST A BIT DIFFERENT, NOW THAT I CAN REALLY IDENTIFY WITH HARRY! LOVE CHIEF DAN GEORGE--A FAVORITE FROM LITTLE BIG MAN.

Relatable family dynamics, but a largely contrived cross-country journey. A story of the elderly in the modern world.

The best comedy movie ever made!

Harry and Tonto is a simple road movie about an older man looking to find his place after being evicted from his home, and feeling unwelcome with his son. So he goes on a road trip with his cat. The fact that Art Carney stars in it is a big plus because he adds some comedy to the story. There were moments when he would throw out a line that was so subtle, and yet it was timed just right to get me laughing. Harry is such a friendly character, and he finds ways to connect with every person he meets along the way. I also loved his interaction with his cat. It’s delightful to see how he treats Tonto like any other person in the room. You quickly see the bond, which gets you invested in their friendship, and leads to some more powerful emotional moments later. Sadly, Harry and Tonto was a bit bland at times, because there was never much conflict. He runs into a few minor problems with his kids, but it never leads to much confrontation or anything to get me excited. I looked forward to any moment when Carney would stop along the way and have more interactions with people, because that’s typically where the comedy would hit. He just had such a delightful way of bonding with people, even strangers. However there were moments when I was hoping for comedy and it was just an uneventful stop along the way. It all works as part of Harry’s journey, but I was a bit worried that boredom might set in if something more didn’t happen. While it wasn’t perfect, there was a sweet charm to this film that I found pleasant and enjoyable to watch.

Anchored by a sympathetic performance by Academy Award winner for Best Actor Art Carney, this is Paul Mazursky's mellowly melancholic yet humorous story about the lonely eponymous septuagenarian and his cat on an introspective and soulful odyssey catching up with nostalgia, generational conflict and loss of companionship.

I happened to see this on cable and remembered liking it in the 70's. This movie reminds me of why the 70's is best to be forgotten. It embraces and celebrates runaways, broken marriages and casual sex. The old guy in the movie picks up a hitchhiker and they share a motel room together - she causally ndresses and walks around in her underwear. The Hollywood of teh 1970s promoted free sex free love and denial that acting responsibly and like an adult was a good thing. We as young people internalized these messages and I think it messed many of that generation up for a long time. I didn't watch till the end, I was so disgusted by remembering that time in our history. Wealthy hollywood people might get away with treating people as if they are temporary playthings but for most of us, family and responsibility grounds us and are the best things in our lives

Greatly enjoyable with Art Carney

Harry and Tonto is an excellent film. It is about a retired lifelong New Yorker who goes on a cross country odyssey with his beloved cat Tonto when his apartment building is being torn down. Art Carney and Ellen Burstyn give amazing performances. The script is well written. Paul Mazursky did a great job directing this movie. I enjoyed watching this motion picture because of the adventure and drama. Harry and Tonto is a must see.

touching, sad, especially the cat's death, and hopeful ending

Long before "About Schmidt " and "Straight Story " came this heartwarming tale of an old man who loses everything but his cat Tonto. Together they travel across the nation, stopping at certain areas to. visit his estranged children. If the plot seems too familiar its because the titles above and many others have copied its premise.