NOTE: This episode contains MAJOR spoilers. If you haven’t seen the film yet, you might want to hit pause and come back when you’re ready.

Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude is a dark romantic comedy wrapped in bright absurdity—a film where death is performance, institutions are theater, and love becomes an act of rebellion. In this episode of The Minimum Commitment, we explore how the film uses existentialism and counterculture theory to strip away convention and reveal something stranger, wilder, and more alive. From Harold’s fake suicides to Maude’s unapologetic joy, we examine how their relationship redefines freedom—not as escape, but as surrender to the chaos of living.

This isn’t just a story about a young man falling in love with an older woman. It’s a funeral for conformity. And a celebration of what grows in its place.

Recommended Reading:

The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus

A foundational text in existentialist thought, Camus explores what it means to live in an absurd world and still choose joy, defiance, and meaning. For anyone who sees Harold’s transformation as a rejection of passive despair, this essay deepens the film's emotional and philosophical core.

R.I.P. Bud Cort. Thank you for what you gave us in cinema.

Produced, recorded, and edited by Donn Lawler

Music by iTMR