THE BOOK OF HENRY

Naomi Watts   Jaeden Lieberher   Jacob Tremblay   Sarah Silverman   Dean Norris   Maddie Ziegler   Lee Pace

      This is a very different version of the single mother bringing up two boys on her own than we usually see—either in real life or in the movies.  Susan (Watts) is unconventional in her being consistently late in picking up her boys from school, whistling to them from the car, playing videogames, and so on; but she is quite conventional in her “good mother” role of warmth and nurturance and being able to play and have fun with her kids—the more important things, really.

     Henry (Lieberher, previously in Midnight Special) is a very (unbelievably, maybe?) precocious child who not only knows more facts than most adults, but reasons at an adult level.  In addition, he has a keen sense of fairness and ethical principles.  He’s not obnoxious, though, because he’s so sincere and thoughtful of others.  His younger brother Peter (Tremblay, previously in Room) is a great counterpart in his sweetness, but it’s nice to see his spunk and competitiveness with his older brother. 

      So this family is tumbling through life, mostly enjoying it, and trying to be helpful to others.  Susan has a co-worker at a coffee shop (Silverman), who clearly needs her support.  Henry has to rescue his brother from bullies at school.  But what puts the intrigue of the story in motion is Henry’s observation of his schoolmate Christina (Ziegler) next door with her stepfather, Mr. Sickleman (Norris), the city’s police commissioner.  From what Henry can glean from his online searches and books, Christina is suffering from abuse.  There has already been an incident in the grocery store observed by Henry and his mother, where a man was being abusive to a woman, and Susan advises Henry not to try to intervene by telling him, “It’s not our business”; it could provoke more violence.  But Henry is not convinced, saying that apathy, not violence, is the worst thing in the world.  He then proceeds to devise a plan whereby Christina can be rescued.

      Something happens, and Henry cannot enact his plan, but he has given Susan the most detailed instructions as to how she can see to it that Christina gets the help she needs.  This is the action of the story, filled with suspense, and keeping the audience on edge.

Director Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World, Safety Not Guaranteed) knows very well how to direct movies with drama that have some thrill to them.  His team of Michael Giacchino (music) and John Schwartzman (cinematographer), along with others, add measurably to the production. 

      Although the script is very good in terms of entertainment and capturing the imagination, I think Gregg Hurwitz made a mistake in putting adult words and concepts into a child’s role, and making him, in psychology parlance, a “parent child.”  This doesn’t usually work out so well in real life as it does in this film.  The script is also weakened by the gaps in Henry’s story.  I can’t say more, but that was jarring to me.  On the other hand, the insertion of precursors like Susan’s whistle, her penchant for videogames, and Henry’s class report on legacy are clever in their prescience.

      Naomi Watts is a solid performer who consistently gets good reviews, and she deserves it as well for her work here.  She’s such a natural in relating to children, and her tremulous standing up to Mr. Sickleman is outstanding.  To be commended are the two boys playing her sons, Jaeden Lieberher and Jacob Tremblay.  They seem to understand intuitively what is called for, and they produce it naturally.  Dean Norris knows very well how to play the villain (“Under the Dome” and other TV series), and his portrayal of the bully and reactions of surprise and concern ripple through his face so tellingly.  I’m not sure why the Silverman character was included; although she played her part very well, the character seemed extraneous to me.

     Although I liked The Book of Henry in many ways (directing, music, cinematography, actors, entertainment), there are parts of it that seem over the top.  For instance, I mentioned the portrayal of children.  The most galling was catapulting poor Henry (basically, a wonderful boy) back in the traditional role of a dominant husband over a submissive wife.  “I must tell you exactly what to do and you must follow my instructions implicitly.”  “Pay attention to our finances!  You don’t even know what we are worth.  I’ve made all this money so you don’t have to work any more.”

      This movie will be applauded by those taken in by the romantic story that children can be as wise as adults, but don’t you believe it.  Even the writer of this script hedged on that.

An entertaining—even exciting—movie, if you don’t think too hard.

Grade:  C+                          By Donna R. Copeland

JURASSIC WORLD

Chris Pratt     Bryce Dallas Howard     Vincent D’Onofrio     Irrfan Khan

Anticipation has been keen for Jurassic World, especially for those with memories of previous versions, and I expect this one will not disappoint them.  Special effects are stunningly real enough to elicit gasps and screams from the audience, and the main dinosaurs somehow have enough personality to give you the impression you’re acquainted with them. 

I think the weakest aspects of the film are in the dialog and the characters portrayed.  It’s never been clear to me why millions of dollars are spent on special effects in films and so little attention paid to dialog and character development.  Most of the characters in Jurassic World are obnoxious:  self-serving know-it-alls who ignore experts (lots of these), a hoity-toity director of the park who also won’t listen and weigh advice given to her, a rat of an older brother, and a younger brother who is mostly appealing except when his ADHD propels him through the park at breakneck speed.

           The dialog could have been made much more interesting if there had been a genuine philosophical argument about using animals like drones in warfare.  All we get here is one man wanting to do it, and the animal trainer giving reasons why not to, but it’s only a brief argument in passing. 

           We meet the two boys, Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins), as they are saying goodbye to their parents and getting on a plane to spend a week with their Aunt Claire (Howard) at her dinosaur theme park.  Of course, she is a very busy woman and not exactly kid-friendly, so pawns them off to her assistant for the day.  (The assistant is not kid-friendly either, so we get an inkling of how the day is going to go.) 

           Claire has her hands full trying to balance the demands of the owner of the park (Khan), shareholders, and staff; in particular, the animal trainer Owen (Pratt).  This would make her sympathetic, but she is all business, figures, and academic terminology, let alone mile-high control needs.  Owen is about the only sympathetic, admirable character among all of them, but most turn deaf ears to his recommendations.  He has developed the ability to bond with four young raptors with astounding results, and of course, there are those just waiting in the wings to exploit them.

           To add to the intrigue, there is a lab on site that has been experimenting with a cocktail of genetic traits to develop a super dinosaur, which is being held in captivity.  The business people know/“think?” they need to bring out a new thrill at the park every few years to keep the public interested.  This creature will be their ace in the hole very soon.  But if only they realized how much they have been playing with fire, naively mixing genes and keeping an animal in captivity without socialization or training.

          Pratt is a fine hero who is a knowledgeable Johnny-on-the-spot in times of crisis, although I think the character needs a little more forceful strength than Pratt conveys.  Howard is a good actress, but her role as written (a bundle of female stereotypes) is unbelievable, the epitome of which is her running in high heels all over acres of jungle-like parkland.  Both Khan and D’Onofrio do well in their roles as misguided leaders with a little power.

           I loved Colin Trevorrow’s work as director of Safety not Guaranteed, and his direction is spot on here—although the script, to which he contributed does not measure up to his work as director.  A very strong asset of Jurassic World is the music by Michael Giacchino, soaring at times, dissonant at others, and lyrical during tender moments—although I must say Christmas music in the beginning was a bit too much to take.

If you like to be thrilled and terrified by dinosaurs… 

Grade:  B-                                    By Donna R. Copeland