The Book of Henry (2017)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  6 / 10

  The Book of Henry is an innovative drama that both brings smiles and pulls on your heart strings. At first I thought this was going to be a child friendly family film, then the second act arrives and it just hits you. This is incredibly smart! I mean sure, Henry himself is a child genius but the film's inner dynamics is very refreshing to watch. How Henry, a child, is the adult and more respectable role in the family and his mother is playing video games and not worrying about financial documents. This role reversal is well explored, so I was pretty happy. The problem is I can't really say too much about the last two acts (way too many spoilers), but the film changes and transforms from a family film to a more mature adult viewing. When I say mature, I mean it is ridiculously heavy...it just hits you and I wasn't prepared for it. Then the film changes again and starts to become a thriller, whilst still tackling mature themes such as child abuse. Whilst these are all perfectly acceptable, the sudden changes were jarring and the tonal inconsistencies did disrupt the narrative. It's a shame because the intent for innovation and originality was there, but it just didn't quite hit the mark. Colin Trevorrow made a suitable transition from blockbuster (Jurassic World) to a smaller drama, his camera shots were clean although nothing outstanding. The acting though, oh yes. I have a little place in my heart for Naomi Watts and she was really good as the mother who's character transforms dramatically. This showcases her acting chops and solidifies her as an exquisite actress. Jaedan Lieberher plays Henry, he executes his lines with precision and has that sarcastic wit that a self-proclaimed genius would have. I enjoyed his performance. Jacob Tremblay once again proves he is Hollywood's best child actor right now, he really is the heart of the film. So the story and acting was great, just the sudden changes in genre prevented this from being a powerful drama. It tried to be everything instead of focussing on one genre.

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