Harry and Son is the 1984 drama about the complicated relationship between a blue-collar father and his ne'er-do-well son. Harry Keach (Paul Newman) is a widower and a construction worker who taught his children the importance of hard work. However, Harry's son Howard (Robbie Benson) is only interested in chasing girls, surfing and working a dead-end job while aspiring to become a writer. Howard's lackadaisical lifestyle and inability to hold down a job drives a rift between father and son. Harry's frustration grows after an unforseen medical emergency causes him to lose his construction job. Now that both men have free time on their hands, Harry spends time with a widowed neighbor Lilly (Joanne Woodward) and Howard rekindles a romance with a former girlfriend, Katie (Ellen Barkin), who is pregnant with another man's child. Harry and Howard both hope to find happiness and a way to salvage what's left of their relationship.moreless