The Book of Henry (2017)

With the popularity of the film Wonder (2017) and Room (2015), it seems like Jacob Tremblay is starting to pop up all over the place.  However, this time around in The Book of Henry, Tremblay is not the main young actor in the film.  It is Jaeden Lieberher in the starring role.  Lieberher got a lot more recognition in his boost to fame part in the movie It (2017).  Excluding the kids from the renowned Netflix Original TV Series, Stranger Things (2016), Tremblay and Lieberher are probably the most popular child actors right now.  With Naomi Watts playing their mother in The Book of Henry, this movie looked entertaining.

The Book of Henry is about a genius 11-year-old boy who works together with his mother to try to stop the child abuse of their next door neighbor girl.

The movie was directed by Colin Trevorrow and the noteworthy cast includes Jaeden Lieberher, Naomi Watts, Jacob Tremblay, Dean Norris, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler, Bobby Moynihan, Geraldine Hughes, Joel Marsh Garland, and Wass Stevens.

After you get past the fact that the premise of this movie is super farfetched, it is enjoyable enough.  The story is all too convenient, but yet tastefully done.  Many complications in the storyline were solved all too easily and in a very formulaic fashion.

I fault the writing for everything that is wrong with The Book of Henry.  The filmmaking was good enough overall, but the story was just really lacking.

For their age, the young actors in this film are superb.  Lieberher is the standout in the movie.  I definitely expect to see these to young actors continuing to have successful careers.

I usually really like Watts as an actress, but did not care for her much in this film.  I am not sure if it was because I did not like her or her character.  She was dumbed-down so much for this movie that it almost seemed like she was miscast.

The irresponsibility and stupidity of Watt’s character is not believable when you see just how much of a mastermind her oldest son is supposed to be.  He is so beyond crazy smart at 11 years old that it seems impossible to fathom.  Get past that and The Book of Henry is average.  It is a drama with some unexpected twists and turns.  Some ideas about the story really worked, while others just did not.

I rate this movie a 5.5 on a scale of 1-10.

If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:

Wonder (2017)

Room (2015)

The Window (1949)

It (2017)

Stand By Me (1986)

St. Vincent (2014)

The Impossible (2012)

Stranger Things (2016)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

The Goonies (1985)