The Book of Henry Review
PG13: Thematic Elements and Brief Strong Language
Focus Features
1 Hr 45 and Minutes
Cast: Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler, Dean Norris, Bobby Moynihan
In a small suburban town, a precocious 11-year-old boy, named Henry Carpenter, and his younger brother, Peter, are being raised by their single mother, Susan, who works as a waitress. Henry has a crush on their next-door neighbor Christina Sickleman, a girl around his age, who is the stepdaughter of the police commissioner. To protect Christina from harm at the hands of her abusive stepfather, Glenn, Henry comes up with a plan to rescue her that he writes in a book. Henry's mother discovers the book and decides that she and Peter will put Henry's scheme into motion.
THE GOOD: Ever since St. Vincent, Jaeden Lieberher has never ceased to amaze audiences with his heartfelt and poignant performances. With every film we see him in, he is always the standout cast member who always shine. This movie is no exception. Lieberher does a fantastic performance as this 11-year-old who has the mentality of a young man, but the heart of a kid. He is a genius, a perfect kid, and doesn’t have an ego like most kids his age has. He is the perfect child you wish your child were. Even in sickness, he tries his best to keep his family together.
The family dynamic here is new regarding household roles that you do not see in films today. Henry takes care of the finical bills, Peter is the little brother who needs protection, and Susan plays Battlefield. The three of them have perfect chemistry. You feel this entire family genuinely love each other. They all look out for each other and protect one another. Because of their togetherness, this leads to a lot whimsical heartwarming sequences that make you go:
Sometimes the film relies on the “aww” factor way too much but luckily the film reels itself right out of it when the story needs to progress.
The Book of Henry is the second film starring Naomi Watts and Jacob Tremblay after the disastrous 2016 train wreck that was Shut In, and I forgive them for that. This is the film the proves the capabilities that lie in their performance. Besides Lieberher, Watts and Tremblay are the true driving forces of this movie. They have scenes where they emotionally break down, and holy crap is it effective. Their performances leave you broken at times that you might shed tears. I mean I did not break down crying.
I swear I did not cry at times.
Naomi Watts’s Susan acts like a teenager (especially when around Sarah Silverman who plays her best friend from work) but still have motherly control. She is a single mom who is let loose and has a colorful side to her that you don't see a lot of single mothers exhibit in film today. She is not just one dimensional opposed to most single mothers in film. What other movies would you see a mom playing Battlefield?
Dear God, please let Jacob Tremblay be the best actor of all time. At his young age, Tremblay is hands down one of the best child actors opposed to ones even older than him. I hope he grows to become better as he gets older, unlike several child actors who are only great when young. Just to think his career started in Smurfs 2 and just got better ever since.
You are introduced to this light-hearted world but as the film goes on it naturally gets darker. Somewhere halfway through, the film takes a critical left turn to show us something a bit more dark and a bit more tragic. When it takes the turn, it becomes an entirely separate film than it was marketed to be. It genuinely takes you by surprise. Shoot, even the film’s humor becomes dark halfway through as well. The film becomes 13 Reasons Why meets How to Get Away With Murder.
On the one hand, it kind of throws you off but then, on the other hand, it makes the film even much deeper regarding its characters. At first, you think this is a movie that brings up the terribleness of child abuse, but as the film goes on, you begin to realize this is a much deeper story of loss. It brings up the question what to do when a loved one is gone and how far will you go to fulfill that loved one’s dying wish.
Throughout his career, Colin Trevorrow claimed this to be the most difficult film he has directed yet and as you watch you can feel it. There are dark situations that are frightening and a lot of emotional beats that are heartbreaking. Besides seeing the newest Pixar film this weekend (Which being Cars 3), watch something that has all the tear-jerking beats of a Pixar movie.
THE BAD: Not enough Uncle Han—I mean Dean Norris. Throughout the entire film, we are to believe that he is this huge antagonist, but you barely see him in the movie. Yes, the actions he does to his stepdaughter Christina is despicable no doubt about it, but you barely see him do anything worse outside of that. The little you see him the less you are convinced the lengths Henry, Susan, and Peter go are reasonable. It does not help that his performance is similar to Vincent D'Onofrio's portrayal of Wilson Fisk in Daredevil.
The film has some unsettlingly uncomfortable scenes which work in the film’s favor, but then there are some scenes where it gets awkwardly uncomfortable. Henry has a funny relationship with Susan’s friend, Sheila (played by Silverman) where they never get along and make fun of each other in a Married With Children-esque manner. It is hilarious and all but then there's a moment where Sarah Silverman and Henry have a final interaction and its borderline creepy. It is well intended, but when it plays out, you cringe a bit.
LAST STATEMENT: Originally well written, wonderfully directed, and with stellar performances from the entire cast, The Book of Henry is a great family film with a touching story about love, loss, and the meaning of family even with its incredibly dark themes.
Rating: 4/5 | 84%
Super Scene: Susan Says No.
