The Book of Henry Summary & Review
When we’re young, we try to do what we can to help others. We have the idea that everyone should be treated with the same amount of respect that we receive from our parents. So when we see someone who isn’t being treated the way we feel is right, we have the urge to get involved. We want to help the person and make sure that they are being treated right. That’s the subject of the new film The Book of Henry, from director Colin Trevorrow.
The movie follows Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher), a child prodigy who lives in a small town with his mother Susan (Naomi Watts) and younger brother Peter (Jacob Tremblay). When Henry learns that his neighbor Christina (Maddie Ziegler) is being abused by her stepfather Glenn (Dean Norris), he comes up with a plan to save her. When he is unable to carry out the plan himself, he gives the task to Susan. It becomes her mission to fulfill his scheme, no matter how outlandish it may become.
I had heard nothing but terrible things about this movie going in, but now that I’ve seen it, I’m struggling to figure out what they were thinking. The Book of Henry is a severely underrated masterpiece. First off, the story was very unique. We’ve see a lot of movies about child prodigies, but this one had a very unique way of going about it. The types of inventions that Henry was building were really interesting and innovative. They really depicted a family that I would love to be a part of.
I thought the types of characters they used in the film were also very unique. It was interesting to see the parent be a deadbeat mother rather than a deadbeat father. It was really funny seeing Henry (an 11-year-old) handle the responsibilities of being a parent, while Susan hung out with friends and had a minimum wage job. I never saw that coming from this kind of movie.
I also thought the cinematography was beautiful. I loved how the film took place during the fall season. There were a lot of scenes that took place in the woods behind their home, and it was very colorful and nice to look at. Basically everything in the technical department was beautifully done. There wasn’t a moment in this movie that wasn’t a treat for the eyes.
I sincerely thought that the script and directing were perfect. Writer Gregg Hurwitz crafted a brilliant story about how people deal with grief, and how some people perceive the truth in more extreme ways than others. Director Colin Trevorrow did an amazing job. After making Safety Not Guaranteed, he really was the best guy to make this movie. He knows how to make movies that are all about human stories with emotional characters. Not many people know how to pull that off, and Trevorrow is one who does.
I also don’t understand what people are saying when they say the film has tonal problems. This movie was one of the few this summer that has a perfect tone. This movie qualifies as a drama. There are funny moments, but that’s because it’s all about them being a good family. If you don’t establish a bond between Henry, Susan, and Peter, then we can’t care about them. That’s something this movie did perfectly.
The Book of Henry is one of the best movies of the year, and stands out as one of the best of this disappointing summer season. It was a complete original that takes a familiar premise and does some great things with it. I feel so bad that Colin Trevorrow has to go through so much bullying in the film industry. He is one of the best filmmakers working today, and all three of his films have ended up on my “Best of the Year” lists for their respective years. In my opinion, I think he has the potential to make Star Wars: Episode IX one of the best films in the franchise. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
