The Harvest is a horror/thriller about a sickly boy named Andy who wants to hangout with his new neighbor Maryann, but the boy's mother forbids this and is afraid that her dark secret will come to light. This movie is currently streaming on Netflix and stars Charlie Tahan as Andy, Samantha Morton as Andy's mother, Michael Shannon as Andy's father, and Natasha Calis as Maryann. I picked this movie after seeing that Michael Shannon was in it, because he's one of my favorite actors working today. Michael Shannon, nor anyone else, could save this movie from the horrendous dialogue, numerous plot holes, and the other laughably bad performances in The Harvest.
The Harvest actually opens up somewhat promising. Andy, played by Charlie Tahan, gives the best performance in the entire film. You really feel bad for this kid who's stuck in his bed all day and just wants to be go to school, and play baseball like a normal kid. Now before I say too much more, I have to talk about Samantha Morton's performance as Andy's mother. I'm sure she's a great actress in other films (she's been nominated for multiple Oscars), but she shows none of that talent here. The entire film revolves around the mother as she progressively escalates in her attempts to keep her secrets from her son and the new neighbor, Maryann. However, Morton overacts in every scene and made me laugh when she was supposed to be giving this serious, and horrifying performance. Since The Harvest hinges on Morton's performance, the movie begins to fall apart very quickly.
None of the exchanges between characters feel real. Their interactions are forced and very heavy handed with exposition. There are a few interesting twists and turns the film takes, or so that's what it tricks you into believing. For every revelation, there is an accompanying plot hole or plot inconsistency that comes with it. The biggest twist in the film is actually a good idea, but its execution leaves a lot to be desired.
I don't normally talk about sound in my reviews, but I have to mention it for this film. During all the "suspenseful" scenes, there are these sound effects used that were probably taken off some free website. They are supposed to be dramatic and add to suspense of the film but ultimately make the movie that much cornier.
Michael Shannon does not get a pass here either. Shannon phones in his performance, and while he isn't bad, he is very one note. Oh, and the ending of this movie is so hilariously bad that I was belly laughing for a solid 30 seconds.
Even after all the terrible things I have said about his movie, that does not take away from how good of a time I had watching it. The Harvest feels like a slightly higher budget Lifetime movie. Get some friends together to watch this movie, and just don't think about it too much. My head still hurts doing so.
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