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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: Hbo Home Video
Salesrank: 65245
Released: August 1, 2006 |
| Our Price: $3.00 |
| Used Price: $1.19 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Drama) The sensationalistic murder of diet guru Dr. Herman Tarnower is explored in this decidedly low-key take on the tabloid cover story from first-time director Phyllis Nagy. As the inventor of the popular "Scarsdale Diet" Dr. Herman Tarnower (Ben Kingsley) became an overnight success during the peak of the early 1980s diet craze. Despite the popularity of the Dr. Tarnower's revolutionary "lose one pound per day" diet, the womanizing ways of the Casanova cardiologist would soon come to a brutal end at the hands of his jealous, prescription drug-addicted lover Jean Harris (Annette Bening). Driven to despair after their fourteen-year romance failed to result in marriage and enraged by Dr. Tarnower's shameless status as a ladies man, Harris confronts her former lover in one violent, final act of desperationTagline: Nothing is more dangerous than the truth.
DVD Features:
Audio Commentary
Featurette
Description of Mrs. Harris:
Mrs. Harris is HBO's fact-based tale about the tumultuous relationship between Jean Harris and Scarsdale Diet author Dr. Herman Tarnower, whom she is accused of shooting to death in a jealous fit of rage. But it's also a cautionary tale about what can happen when a woman is so obsessed with a man she'd rather die--or kill--than be left behind. As Harris notes when she's on trial for his murder, she doesn't understand how "something that ugly and sad could've happened between two people who didn't argue, except over the use of the subjunctive." As the oddly paired lovers, Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley do a formidable job with their roles. She is a well-educated social climber teaching at a girls' prep school. He is a wealthy doctor who loves her enough to propose marriage, but not enough to go through with it. She sticks around for 14 years, hoping she'll outlast all his other mistresses. When her best friend suggests she find someone worthy of her, Harris scoffs, "I despise decent men. ... Cruelty isn't a crime. Boredom is." Unfortunately, the film--even with all the sensationalistic background material--is a meandering production that evokes boredom and impatience rather than viewer's pity, anger, or understanding. --Jae-Ha Kim
Mrs. Harris Reviews:
Convincing and good casting 
2009-03-19 - Ben Kingsley is an inspired choice to play the bald-headed diet doc who gets shot by his jealous middle-aged girlfriend way back in 1980. This was tabloid manna back then, and this newer film manages to convey why Mrs. Harris probably shot the guy. He was a creep. What doesn't make sense is why she was so nuts about him. The film doesn't get that message over very well. Still, this is pretty entertaining stuff about a slice of 1970s society.
Star Power,but little else in MRS.HARRIS 
2008-01-13 - If you have seen the earlier film made about the infamous Jean Harris and her "killing" of Scarsdale Diet Guru Hy Tarnower entitled The People Vs. Jean Harris.Neither is very compelling,as the the story and trial in real life is more sensational than it is interesting fodder for a movie.Because the real life story is from the perspective of a woman who, to this day we are not sure what the real story is over the relationship of Harris and Tarnower,(he's dead... so dead men can't talk!), then the best we can get is a screenplay that comes from the true testimony of the trial account (which is actually quite dull and unenlightening to begin with) and the skewed talking-head interviews who can only give their opinions.Everytime this story is told we are left with HIS SIDE,HER SIDE AND THE TRUTH.We will never know what the truth is, and Harris, though convicted,served her time and is out doing charity work! She moved on and so should we from this DVD! Not even the presence of Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley make this worth a purchase nor a second viewing.
Interesting and Engaging
2007-12-28 - I became a fan of the movie after my first viewing and have DVR'd it so I can watch whenever I want. Ben Kingsley and Annette Bening give wonderful performances, the chemistry between these two makes this a movie worth watching. If Dr. Herman Tarnower was a rich self-centered womanizing jerk, then Ben Kingsley conveyed that in so many ways. I was really entertained with the way these two communicated with each other throughout the movie, for example when Jean begged her lover to stop concentrating on hurting so many women and just concentrate on hurting her, wow. Eventually I will purchase the movie.
Courtroom drama that's not... 
2007-11-15 - A courtroom drama that doesn't unfold in the courtroom at all. It is told through a story line with two different views on what happened that fateful night. It'll make you wonder what really took place.
Fine, fine performance by Annette Bening. Has she ever made a bad movie?Ben Kingsley usually always does well in his roles too (see the powerful movie 'House of Sand and Fog' or 'Death and the Maiden').
A well recommended movie.
No One Plays Crazy Better Than Annette
2007-08-22 - I watch this movie everytime it comes on HBO--and everytime I am beside myself laughing. Annette Bening does a brilliant job of portraying one woman's slow spiral out of control, having been driven to the breaking point over her love for the Scarsdale Diet doctor. Her descent into complete madness is remarkably eerie and believable. Her irrational comments are side-splittingly funny.
Adding to this wonderful character study is the satiric tone of the entire film and the fake-documentary style that adds to the (true) story's credibility.
This is worth watching many times over.
