Random Movie Review - The Book of Henry

 

I think it's about time I look at a film I don't usually talk about. A film that has a mix of things. Drama, thrills, medical stuff, imagination and kids stuff. This is that film which surprisingly has had a lot of negative reviews. Granted, it's not a perfect film, but with a talented cast and an attempt to mix several genres together, how bad can it possibly be. Not to mention that the director Colin Trevorrow would go on to bring back the Jurassic Park franchise to the big screen and was also meant to have directed the final Star Wars film which after seeing what his vision would've been, that would have been a much better final film than the one we got which wasn't great in the slightest. Though unlike the Zack Snyder cut of Justice League, we are probably unlikely to get an alternative version of the final film unless Disney make a What If series for Star Wars as fans have petitioned. Anyway, rant over, let's take a look at this film:

Set in a small town within the Hudson Valley, boy genius Henry Carpenter (played by Jaeden Martell) and his young brother Peter (played by Jacob Tremblay) live with their mother Susan (played by Naomi Watts), a children's book writer working as a waitress to keep up with bills. As a boy genius, Henry has managed to get a very substantial nest of money for the family via the stock market. He also has a treehouse which he shares with Peter and also helps Peter against bullies at school. Henry and Susan are fond of their next door neighbour Christina Sickleman (played by Maddie Ziegler), but as she has become glum recently, Henry suspects that something is up. As he believes her stepfather and also the town's police commissioner Glenn (played by Dean Norris) has been abusing her, he hatches a plan to expose him and his crimes despite the odds. The odds being that due to his high ranking standings, no one is willing to help and Henry himself may not be around to see his plan come to fruition when a medical emergency falls into play.

Although credit is due to the talented cast and the ambition to make the film what it is, I will agree that it's not a great film. Some things make little sense and although complexity is good, the delivery of it isn't always what we expect. But overall, a nice and quirky little film that is worth at least one watch. I personally will probably not watch it again, if only because the medical stuff hits home quite hard. 7/10