Overview
A small town's secrets unravel as a dead body sparks unexpected connections and dark humor.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- macabre
- sardonic
- classic movie night
- autumn afternoon
What critics said
Critics generally admire the film's beguiling performances, macabre comic balance, and distinctive offbeat direction, while some find the pace leisurely and the humor uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Captain Wiles, Jennifer Rogers, Sam Marlowe, and Miss Gravely approach Harry's body through concealment, convenience, and social negotiation rather than conventional horror.
Several revelations question whether Captain Wiles actually killed Harry, while the characters' accounts and motives continually revise the audience's understanding.
The dead body becomes a shared problem for a small Vermont town's residents, including a captain, artist, single mother, and deputy sheriff.
Sam Marlowe and Jennifer Rogers move toward romance while helping manage the consequences of Harry's death and Jennifer's history with him.
Films like The Trouble with Harry, and why
Arsenic and Old Lace
shares a macabre comic premise, eccentric small-town characters, and a playful mystery tone
The Lady Vanishes
shares Hitchcockian suspense blended with dry humor, romantic entanglements, and an offbeat crime plot
Kind Hearts and Coronets
shares a deadpan black-comedy treatment of death, social discomfort, and morally unconventional characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Alfred Hitchcock
- Release Date
- 1955-10-03
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (931)
Cast
- John Forsythe
- Shirley MacLaine
- Edmund Gwenn
- Mildred Natwick
- Mildred Dunnock
- Jerry Mathers
- Royal Dano
- Parker Fennelly
- Barry Macollum
- Dwight Marfield
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Trouble with Harry about?
- In a Vermont meadow, an apparently accidental death becomes a gently absurd test of friendship, romance, and small-town self-preservation.
- What is The Trouble with Harry like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Trouble with Harry as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Trouble with Harry violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Trouble with Harry as mild.
- What did critics think of The Trouble with Harry?
- Critics generally admire the film's beguiling performances, macabre comic balance, and distinctive offbeat direction, while some find the pace leisurely and the humor uneven.
- Which films are like The Trouble with Harry?
- Films with a similar feel include Arsenic and Old Lace, The Lady Vanishes, and Kind Hearts and Coronets.
- How long is The Trouble with Harry?
- The Trouble with Harry runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Trouble with Harry?
- In United States, The Trouble with Harry is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
