Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?

Typical product of the early 70s - talk, talk, talk and relatively little acting or showing. By today's standards it makes for a cliched, dull and hard to understand film, yet for its time it wasn't too bad. Hoffman plays Georgie Soloway, a rich and famous songwriter living a lonely, anxiety-ridden life in Manhattan. He's clearly having a massive midlife crisis, reflecting on all his past failed relationships, watching his father get old, and fearing for his own sanity. On top of that, some guy named Harry Kellerman is calling all his friends and girlfriends and creating problems for him - although it takes quite some time for the viewer to figure out whether "Harry" is a real person, or just another figment of Georgie's very rich imagination. Georgie repeatedly fantasizes about suicide, and between that and his other fantasies and his flashbacks (life passing before his eyes?) and his possible hallucinations from going days without sleep, the viewer is also never quite sure whether Georgie has actually succeeded in offing himself and his "real life" is the dream, or whether he's still alive and the suicide is the dream. Like similar films of its era ("MASH" and "Harold and Maude"), suicide is somewhat romanticized - the film seems to be suggesting that we're all going to die in the end anyway so what does it matter when and how we check out? - and made into a symbol for other types of "death", such as the death of one's dreams.While I realized early on (like in the first couple minutes) that this was supposed to be a dark, fantastic comedy, I got a little tired of having to constantly try to figure out what actually happened in real life, and what was simply being dreamed, particularly during a sequence involving Georgie running into his ex-wife on a skyscraper window ledge that seems potentially symbolic of what might have happened in real life - or it could be just another wacky insomniac dream. The only part of the film that seems definitely real is Georgie's meeting and date with an aging actress played by Barbara Harris, who (again true to the era) plays a supposedly 34-year-old woman who really looks, wears her hair and makeup, and acts like she is 45. Even that bright spot doesn't quite work out the way you think or hope it will.Hoffman's acting is the usual good quality job and he is suitably laid back for the role, but he really doesn't come off like a rich music star. For one thing, a normal songwriter in that era who could not sleep and was alone all the time would almost certainly have used some drugs, or at least taken a drink, neither of which happens. For another thing, most of the songs in the film, with the possible exception of the Dr. Hook theme song played at start and finish, are pretty terrible - not the sort that would land their creator on the cover of "Time". We also see very little of Georgie's actual career, other than that he twangs a guitar a lot and has a couple of music-business-type pals. I half expected to find that Georgie's stellar career was as much a figment as lots of other things, and that he was really back home slaving in his dad's restaurant.Despite the fact that this is a fairly typical 70s film that some people will probably find brilliant and thoughtful and others will likely find to be the biggest, snooziest waste of film ever, I can see why no one has been rushing to put this out on DVD. The beginning is disturbing; the scene with the ex-wife is disturbing; and the end is the most disturbing of all and nowadays would probably send a few modern viewers running to see their own shrinks.

This is a great film if you know what you're getting: an introspective study of a songwriter's life falling apart. Is he insane or just childish? Are people after him, or is he his own worst enemy? Those questions are answered by the movie's end. Conventional movie watchers who like action or intense drama will hate this."Who IS..." is for fans of black humor, in movies like "Harold & Maude" & "Slaughterhouse-5". There is also a similarity to "A Thousand Clowns." It reminds me of Martin Scorsese's criminally-underrated "King of Comedy". Both main characters travel through reality, delusions & memories with little explanation to the viewer. Hoffman's songwriter seems like a mixture of Bob Dylan & Howard Hughes. Anyone who wants to know, or remembers what NYC looked like in the early '70's will treasure this. Jack Warden has some amazingly funny bits, showing up in various guises. The film is at its best when Dustin is engaged with other actors. It occasionally suffers from long scenes where he is alone, talking to himself. The slow free-fall beginning is classic.I deduct one star because this is only available on a VHS cassette modified for old TV sets. A widescreen DVD should be released. Also the colors look faded & dull, as if the print was from an old film they used over & over to show on late night TV movies.Just because this is Hoffman's least-known film, does not mean he phones it in. His acting is at its peak, right up there w/ "Midnight Cowboy", "Lenny", "Little Big Man" & "Marathon Man".If you don't like movies of the mind, don't like Fellini or early '70's black humor... steer clear.

This movie captures the essence of the hippie era - a wandering through a vaguely hallucinatory landscape of soul-searching and finding oneself. It's a reflection on the disappointments of success. Although the title of the film and this unformed subject matter may put some people off, this is actually quite a trip, man.In addition to being an engaging blast from the past, there are two things in this film that make it an unforgettable must-see. The first thing is Barbara Harris' performance. Her gentle, falling-leaf reconciliation with the fact that neither she nor any woman is likely to have the romance that was the stuff of all their dreams - is one of the best, most heart-wrenching scenes ever captured on film. Barbara Harris may not have won the Academy Award, but she wins silver-screen immortality with this portrayal.The second reason to check out this movie is the music - especially the closing song sequence that's a collaborative effort between Shel Silverstein and Dr. Hook (the band). That trailing refrain, "This is the Last Morning" is all of us trailing off into the dying of all our dreams. It's a great and sad song. But it's all right, man. It's the journey that counts.

Loved it when it came out, got this DVD. Good performances all around.

Who is Harry Kellerman is very very good Dustin Hoffman! This is more evidence of Dustin Hoffman's performance range and it is entertaining. Director Ulu Grosbard too deserves more credit. No Dustin Hoffman movie collection is complete without Who is Harry Kellerman and why is he saying all those terrible things about me. So, how soon can we have the DVD? The Objective is Happiness, Tom

Definitely a product of its time. Hoffman is as great as he ever was (especially in the Seventies). The film itself is completely dated and very hard to get into. There is some great dialogue and interesting scenes but all in the service of....well nothing really. I am glad I watched it but I don't seem myself going back to it anytime.

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Loved this quirky movie since it first came out and a great sound track from Dr Hook and the medicine show

A divisive, often maligned film that takes a lot of patience, that eventually pays off. I loved it, but it is the scenes with Barbara Harris that gifted me with seeing how sublime film can be. Monumental writing (Herb Gardener) and acting by Harris and Hoffman. The thing is, those bits are an hour into the film.

Fan of the movie. Bought the DVD and now have the Blu-ray. The blu-ray copy is far grainier than I had expected. It's too bad that the only old movies that managed to get cleaned up was the Star Wars films. It IS better than the DVD but not by a whole lot. If you love this movie, the Blu-ray will be your best option.

This is one of those films I heard a lot about as a teenager at the time, so I thought I'd give it a go (2014), and really wished I hadn't. Its one of those annoying 70s comedies that the USA used to churn out, using good actors but dead scripts. Everybody seems to be trying too hard to make bad material work by almost shouting at each other. Its not anything like as good as the actors seem to think it is from their furious overacting (kinda like: please find this funny delivery every time they speak). Avoid.