MovieChat Forums > Harold (2008) Discussion > Rip Off!

Rip Off!

posted 16 years ago by thomas_bechmann
16 replies | jump to latest

The film is a blatant rip off of "Herman" (1990). A norwegian film where a boy suffers from baldness. Just by looking at the poster I recognized the norwegian original, but as no credit has been given to that film, and the so called fact on the imdb page that it was based on a short story by the writer is bull...

Here is the original:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099764/

[–] netbird 16 years ago

Nicely pointed.

--
The cure for religion is common sense.

[–] onn1320 15 years ago

Well - it is possible for someone to have the same idea without knowing it's already been done.

I mean - "What if we did a movie where a 13 year old kid was bald?"

I can understand someone coming up with that concept without knowing it was already done.

"And what was it last time? Didn't know what the box was?" - The Female Cenobite in Hellbound

[–] wikkidprawn 16 years ago

There are no original ideas left....it's all been done before in one form or another...

[–] krayz-1 16 years ago

Just judging by both descriptions of the movies, since I haven't seen either yet, the only thing that's similar is that they both have a kid who's bald. That certainly doesn't make it a blatant rip off.

[–] smidthestampede 16 years ago

i liked this movie, it was kind of funny

[–] wmclaughlin7 16 years ago

Yea.... The 2 films have these key plot points in common.

a) Bald kid.

b) Both boys breathe air.

c) Neither film has a yeti.

[–] rndstr 16 years ago

thanks for the laugh :)

[–] generalgrantguy 16 years ago

I did happen to notice there was no yeti.
That must have been the clear giveaway.

[–] mfantone 16 years ago

You left out that neither one has Jedi powers.

[–] Shattered_Wake 16 years ago

and the titles are also similar.

But, the films themselves. . . not alike at all. Herman, from what I remember, was rather serious.

-AP3-

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[–] shmengie 16 years ago

which, in turn, ripped off 1948's 'the boy with green hair.'

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040185/

there's lots of movies about being different/alienation/teen angst/etc. still, no yetis in sight...

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] generalgrantguy 16 years ago

Thanks for that comment which had nothing to do with this thread, and had no support of opinion.

[–] user-7531 16 years ago

actually, it's based on something closer to home for the writer. it was a joke they played at a family reunion where male-baldness seems to run in the family ... they shaved two of the nephew's heads in that pattern and shocked the family when they removed their hats. i saw a picture of one of the kids, it was uncanny. i don't know of shannon ever saw the movie you described, though. it is possible, but i just wanted to point that out to you, there was more to it than just what you claim to be a "rip off", there was actual inspiration involved.

[–] kelly-bales-austin 16 years ago

one of the best family reunions we've had... you can see the picture of my cousin byron, who inspired this whole thing at my uncle t. sean's myspace

[–] 16 years ago

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