Six Ways to Sunday (1997) User Reviews

freaky film

[bondgirl3 · 7/10 · 2 June 2002]

This is an odd film to watch, we have all seen movies with overprotective mothers, but nothing quite like this.

I really liked the way that pieces were filled in as the movie progressed, as they slot into place you feel relief that the confusion has gone and dumb for not working it out before.

Sterling performances from Debbie Harry and Norman Reedus.

This movie hangs around in your head for a while after watching it, you don't know whether to laugh at the black humour or be disgusted by it.

I really liked the ending though, so if you can handle the violence and all - stick with it you won't be disappointed. Peace.

If You Like This Sort of Weird, Dark Comedy, It's The Sort of Weird, Dark Comedy You'll Like!

[dtb · 7/10 · 21 March 2006]

Produced by Jonathan Demme and based on the novel PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG MAN DROWNING, SIX WAYS TO Sunday (6WtS) follows the adventures of Harold "Harry" Odum (Norman Reedus), a young man pinned so tightly under his mother's thumb he can barely move. On Harry's road of, er, self-discovery, he evolves (for lack of a better term) from mama's boy to hit man for the local Jewish mob. Even more mind-boggling, his smothering mom is played by an eerily effective Deborah Harry! (Deborah Harry Odum? :-) Although she gets to sing in flashbacks (and Blondie's "Sunday Girl" is used to nice effect in a diner scene. In fact, music is used well in this film overall, especially The Feminine Complex's charmingly Petula Clarkesque "Love Love Love"), for the most part Harry is startlingly different from her Blondie front-woman persona, both physically and personality-wise. Directed by Adam Bernstein, who's gone on to excellent work on RESCUE ME and other edgy TV series, 6WtS boasts a cast as talented as it is eclectic. Norman Reedus manages to be boyish and intense at the same time, as well as looking like the positive result of an eccentric geneticist's attempt to create a hybrid of Ewan McGregor, Leonardo DiCaprio, and a young Gary Sinise. There are also memorable turns by Isaac Hayes as a cop (listen for his rendition of "What A Friend We Have in Mother" during the opening scenes), Jerry Adler (best known in our household as Woody Allen and Diane Keaton's mysterious neighbor Mr. House in MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY) as the Jewish mob's equivalent of the capo di tutti capi, and Elina Löwensohn (NADJA, SCHINDLER'S LIST) as the girl Harry loves, reminding me of a sort of wistful, downtrodden Audrey Hepburn. For my money, the most entertaining scenes belong to Adrien Brody, and not just because I'm a fan of his. Brody channels his inner Ali G as Harry's childhood friend Arnie Finklestein, an inept gangsta wannabe who tries to look and act like a homeboy with hilarious results -- but nobody's laughing when he chickens out and flees the scene during one of Harry's hits... 6WtS isn't for all tastes, but if you like your crime comedies weird, dark and twisted, it's at least worth a rental.

Crazy flick

[GM4177 · 7/10 · 13 March 2003]

This is one of the weirdest movies I've seen, but I have to say that I liked it. It's definitely not for people who only like mainstream type movies. There is some "uncomfortable" (LOL) subject matter within this film, however, I always seem to find the humor in these things. Not a 10, has some plot holes and unbelievability, but I'd say it's worth a rent. As for me, I'll probably buy it.

Debbie Harry Rocks!

[Dan6060-842 · 2 April 2001]

If you are a big Debbie Harry/Blondie fan, this movie is for you. I can't get over how great of an actress she is, and some of the "things" she does and says in this movie. She even has a flashback to when she was younger, and she's singing like she did in Blondie, not to mention that in one scene, the Blondie song "Sunday Girl" is playing in the background.

"Six Ways to Sunday" is about a kid, Harry Odum, who finds connections to make money by working for the mob. He lives with his mother Kate (Debbie Harry), and has a very close relationship with her. (Later in the movie, you'll see just how "close" they are!) This is a very dark comedy, great acting, great story, a great movie. Movies require you to think too.

Please watch this if you get the chance. If you don't like it, it's not that much of a waste of money. I got the DVD for $9.99, so I'm sure the video, or a rental copy, is much much cheaper. And like I said, Debbie Harry is terrific in this movie, as well as the rest of the cast. And when the film is over, and you watch the screen fade to black after the last scene as the credits roll, you'll think, "what a move."

Six Ways to Sunday review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 9 May 2020]

Pitch black comedy-drama in which an 18-year-old with anger issues and a less than healthy relationship with his mother finds himself employed as an enforcer for the Mob. An attempt to inject something new into an over-familiar genre stereotype succeeds on occasion, but never seems sure of the tone it's aiming for.

I can't believe I sat through this piece of c**p. Avoid!

[johanleupen · 1/10 · 19 July 2000]

The worst movie i've seen in years (and i've seen a lot of movies). Acting is terrible, there is no plot whatsoever, there is no point whatsoever, i felt robbed after i rented this movie. they recommended it to me mind you! a disgrace for terrible movies! stay away from this terrible piece of c**p. save your money !

an unusual mix

[T-10 · 9/10 · 7 July 1999]

Six Ways To Sunday is billed as a black comedy. That it is, but it is so much more. It is fraught with great characters, situations, and relationships. It is a psychological study that plumbs the depths of a mother/son relationship that effects or determines almost everything that happens in the movie --- good and bad. The relationship is, at the very least, fascinating, but it would be unfair to say more than that. The film tells the story of young man from a depressed area who gets into a life crime. At this point I would like to recognize Mr. Reedus' portrayal of Harry, the naive, gentle, and submissive but simultaneously worldly, aggressive, and violent young man was done deftly and beautifully. A review (Box Office Magazine, I believe) stated that he had the look of Leonardo DiCaprio and the charm of Ewan McGregor --- a dynamite combination that I believe to be true. He could be Hollywood's next big star. The film also sheds light on other human relationships involving love and hate, passion and coldness, and loyalty and betrayal. The film was written and directed by Adam Bernstein. Although there was one situation that I did not find believable which did not detract from the film, Six Ways To Sunday was compelling from beginning to end. A word of caution, the film is deserving of its "R" rating due to some extreme violence and exploring an incestuous relationship. If you do not get a chance to see this film in the theaters, it is well worth renting. Good entertainment. Three plus stars!!!

Clockwork orange gone wrong

[michellegatt89 · 3/10 · 11 May 2008]

I watched this movie which I really thought had a promising beginning but then it just led me to feel disappointed in the end. The problem I think with this film was that the director was trying a bit to hard to make this film weird and original. There were too many flashbacks and too many bad "effects" which got me annoyed through the film. I love Debbie Harry and Isaac Hayes but they disappointed me in this film, they could of done much better. This film seemed promising in the beginning, dragging in the middle and then disappointing in the end. The film could never beat Stanley Kubrick's geniousness when it comes to controversial matters, weirdness and originality in movies.

Not a comedy

[kurciasbezdalas · 10/10 · 15 September 2008]

This movie is definitely not a comedy(not like other people think). It's more like drama or crime thriller or even in some parts a romance bot not a comedy. There was to many violent, shocking and even sad scenes to call it comedy. Some people really live this way and it's more sad than funny. Anyway the movie is great. It's length only 97 min but it felt like it was 3 hours because there were so many twists(some of them were predictable on the other hand). Deborah Harry was great. Althau she get quite unusual role(her character reminded me Orsons mother from Desperate Housewives) but she managed her role perfectly. Other actors were great to. This is really unusual film and it's worth your time. It will grab your attention in a first 5 minutes.

Delightfully Wacko!

[gpadillo · 9 August 2004]

What a charmer of a flick. Norman Reedus gives an exceptional performance as Harry. Debbie Harry as his mother is appropriately frumpy and chilling (with one amazing transformation scene - you had to see coming!).

Adrien Brody in an early performance looks to be da role mo-dell fo "Da Ali G" show. He's a terrific idiot homeboy here.

Isaac Hayes, Elina Lowensohn, Jerry Adler and the rest of the supporting cast make this a fresh, disturbing "family" drama.

If director Adam Bernstein seems to run out of steam at the very conclusion - that's okay, since the ride is almost always much more interesting than the destination.

See this movie!

As Far As I Know, Its Tip Top

[waits · 9/10 · 5 June 2000]

This masterful creation is bound to have any viewer thinking about it for some time after the credits roll. Thinking especially about the complex character of Harry Odum played by Norman Reedus - that's complex in more than one sense of the word. Adam Bernstein does an amazing job of plotting out the character development of Harry Odum throughout the story. His is a character that undergoes much change throughout the film and there is never a point where the viewer can pinpoint to say that Harry Odum has displayed an excessively overt transformation. The transition from a young fledgling who is still bathed and nurtured by his mother to a cold blooded killer for the Mafia happens quite smoothly. Smoother than you would probably think possible until you see this film. Of course, credit for this is also due to the fabulous performance by Norman Reedus. As well, Deborah Harry gave a pleasant performance as his incestuous mother.

As you may have guessed, any film dealing with the Mafia, incest, and a complex character with a complex is not a light natured film. In fact the mood gets quite dark at times and Adam Bernstein does a lovely job of keeping this dim air present throughout. This includes everything from the depressing industrial set town that the story takes place in, to the gloomy rooms that the scenes are shot in, to the dark lighting in many of the scenes, to the fitting music, all the way to the disparaging words and attitudes of the characters. All of which will contribute to leaving an indelible impression on the viewer.

Very funny.

[jamieblondie · 8/10 · 18 September 2001]

This is such a great movie. Debbie Harry gives the best performance as a mother obsessed with her son. She even baths him! The film is mainly about a young boy joining the mob to earn money. He has a split personality, likes his Mom too much and falls in love but is essentially an alright guy, if not a little warped. The best scene is when he and his Mom talk about sex. A very underrated film, worth watching if only for Debbie Harry.

original and engrossing and fun

[darkcrash · 9/10 · 16 September 1999]

Strange and funny...absorbing...good acting...good soundtrack. Debbie Harry's really good, and so is everyone else. It's nice to see the Jewish mafia for a change...instead of the usual stereotypical nerds, accountants, and neurotic victims. You should definitely see this movie. It's original.

This film is wonderfully original.

[meemer · 10/10 · 28 November 2000]

This film is great! It is a true dark comedy that is beautifully shot and chock full of disturbingly funny moments. Anyone with a sense of humor should love this film. John Inwood (The Daytrippers) does a fantastic job.

Good movie.

[Mercury-4 · 8/10 · 16 October 2000]

A very good movie about a talented young man who crosses ethnic and social barriers to become a success in a family owned-business.

This is the kind of movie which reaffirms my faith in America. It goes to show how hard work, dedication, and a few unresolved psychoses can still be the ticket which takes a young man from relative obscurity and a dead-end life to a successful and rewarding career.

Excellent & Entertaining

[LynnyBradford · 25 December 2002]

This was the first film I ever saw Norman Reedus in, and his performance immediately captivated me. This film is so excellent I watched it twice. It's also darkly funny, which adds to the uniqueness and originality of the movie. If you've never seen this movie, rent it. You will not be sorry!

Absolutely awesome movie!

[Aries_Primal · 8/10 · 30 April 2014]

If we disregard from the fact that poor boy was with mental disorder because of his crazy mother, the movie was one of the best I've ever seen. Great performance by Norman Reedus again, this man knows how to gets under your skin. Interesting, realistic and unpredictable. You can get a bunch of famous actors and make them do their best, when the story is bad nothing can make it better. I like this one and it definitely was worth it for me! I found a lot of great quotes too, like "Respect one thing, trust another. You can't trust cats." I watched with interest from the beginning to the end,and it was good. I think he had to kill her, and that was the only miss in the movie. He realise so many thing for himself, but not the most important. After all he was just a victim of misunderstood love, and that makes him even more liked for all who watch.

It's all about the music

[EdRooney · 16 May 1999]

"Six Ways To Sunday" Stratosphere Entertainment cut a rousing trailer for this film. This left my expectations sky high. While a dangerous concept, expectations can also taint your feelings toward a film when it's all said and done. Henry Thomas look alike Norman Reedus stars as a Harry, a simple kid with an unusually touchy feely mother (Deborah Harry) who stumbles into the world of the mob. Becoming rich and dangerous in short amount of time, Harry begins to feel his world closing in around him. Mixing equal doses of "Goodfellas", "Psycho", and maybe "Spanking The Monkey", "Six Ways" is not an easy film to dismiss. Boasting a solid cast of diverse names (Isaac Hayes as a cop, personal fave Elina Lowensohn as the love interest), the film is an eclectic collection of themes. Incest, friendship, trust, and old friends, Director Adam Bernstein crafts a solid film that lingers longer that the average film would. That doesn't necessarily mean the entire film is successful. Adrian Brody makes a hilarious sorta-cameo is a crack smoking white homeboy. Sadly, the film doesn't really know what to do with him. The narrative blatantly falls apart in the final act and the blood is shed in great amounts, something that just isn't needed for success. Debbie Harry is a hoot as the domineering mother. She steals every scene she's in. I also really liked the glum setting of Long Island in the fall.

I see very clearly why this movie might rub people the wrong way. It's a glib, silly film. If you don't buy the concept, you ain't gonna stay with the movie. I stayed with it due to the cast, the story, Ms. Lowensohn, and the slim chance I would hear "Love, Love, Love" by the Feminine Complex(I believe the name of the group) - the song used in the trailer. It makes the film seem better than it probably is.----------- 7

One weird movie

[WordUpJack · 8/10 · 29 August 2006]

Six Ways to Sunday is definitely one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen, but I loved it at the same time. Norman Reedus is one of my favorite actors so every movie he is in he does an amazing job. He played an 18 year old boy named Harry Odum, who is pretty much babied by his mother. Blondie, also known as Deborah Harry, did a great job as an over protective mother. I think my mom is over protective, but she doesn't even come close to how Deborah Harry's character is.

It's a dark comedy with some bloody scenes and if you can handle some awkward moments then rent it for sure. I only bought it for 4 bucks and I thought it was worth it.

Oedipus consummated

[agaluro-2 · 10/10 · 13 April 1999]

"Six ways to Sunday" is not a 'funny gangster's flick' where the important plot is not if the boy is cold-blooded or not... This movie is a psychological view of the violence triggered by a real ill sexual life. If we do a deep research, we'll find that all the actual gangsters-mobsters shared the same problem. The script has suspense well built, using good tricks in order to surprise you. It's an imaginative gangster movie -if you insist- avoiding the Tarantino's BlahBlahBlah, the Coppola's Glam, the Scorcese's DeNiro-ism/Pesci-ism and the DePalma's Stereotypes...

Intriguing and weird...Deborah Harry shines!

[Spike-18 · 23 September 1999]

This is a movie unlike any other I've seen. Bizarre undertones create an intriguing psychological tension throughout the film. Deborah Harry is PERFECTION as the uncomfortably close mother of a young guy who is drawn to mob life and gets in too deep. Truly unique and haunting, and directed with style.

The other review of this film obviously didn't get it. There is dark comedy throughout, and some brutally violent scenes...perhaps that's confusing to viewers who need special effects and pre-fab soundtracks. SEE THIS FILM.

it was an impeccable diagram of the depths of the mad mind

[sower · 9/10 · 17 April 1999]

Throughout the movie Jon Demme and the other film makers picked apart a seriously diseased mind with great writing. It was very interesting how the main character invented an alter ego (madden), so that he may have sex. Since his mother prostituted herself she made it seem like sex was such a terrible thing, that he would not do it (so his mind invented madden to do it for him). Not only was he crazy, but at the end you finally find out that his mother was truly the crazy one and he was just a naive boy in love.

I recommend this movie to anyone who likes good script

A really unique, really twisted black comedy

[Nick77 · 25 August 1999]

This one really made me laugh, really dark and weird. Great soundtrack, offbeat cast.

This is a pretty violent film, so not for the faint of heart, although the violence is treated in a really interesting way.

What A Friend We Have in Mother

[lou-50 · 5 June 1999]

"Six Ways to Sunday" begins with the Isaac Hayes rendition of 'What A Friend We Have in Mother' and shows a piece of electrical wire running from the mother's bedroom to that of her son's. This is a disturbing film by Jonathan Demme, taken from a novel called 'Portrait of a Young Man Drowning', but it is also fun to watch because the film is understated enough that you are guessing all along which way it might be going. Harry Odom is a young man who could be a cross between the Malcolm McDowell character in "A Clockwork Orange" and Norman Bates. He has an affliction, he isn't sure about his own sexuality because his dominating mother, Kate, insures that he be devoted solely to her, to the point of bathing him herself and controlling the light switch in his room while constantly reminding him of the deadbeat father that left them. There is sexual tension between mother and son, a latency that will eventually show itself. Danny flips hamburgers as a dead end job in a dead end town, Youngstown, Ohio. He appears to be a loner but he has a special friend, Madden, an imagined alter ego who lusts whereas Harry can't. He also cannot control himself when he gets violent but a local mobster, Mr. Louis Varga, sees him as a budding hitman that he can groom and control like his current henchman, Abie Pinkwise. Danny has to endure a series of crisis and you wonder if this is all staged by Mr. Varga to see what is Danny's mental fortitude, especially since the first encounter involves Bill, the double-agent, who tests Harry's loyalty to the mob. Could Iris be a put-on, is the Uncle Max character real, and will Harry really go through with rubbing Abie out? By film's end, Harry has turned into a cold blooded murderer but we also see a twisted redemption - an anti-hero who is able to walk away with his girl and with his affliction. The cast is not particularly outstanding, Deborah Harry as Kate and Norman Reedus as Harry, but the integrity of the film doesn't depend on the acting as much as on the joy of peeling away at the story layer by layer until there is nothing left.

I personally think you have to be screwed In the head to appreciate this movie...

[Katy Walsh · 1 November 1999]

Which.. i am. I really enjoyed this movie. I mean come on people Issac Hayes and Debbie Harry, we're talking Chef and Blondie, how cool is that? It was very messed up in that "Clockwork Orange" kind of way. I'm not sure what to say about it, but... I really liked it.