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
