Mr. Harrigan's Phone

When I saw the trailer for this film, I was kind of excited since it's based on a story for Stephen King, and the premise was interesting, plus the two main lead actors (Donald Sutherland, Jaeden Martell) are definitely great.

As the story progress, I kept waiting for the cool parts to start happening, but sadly they hardly ever happened, and all we saw is a big indirect advertising campaign for iphone (not that Apple needs it), but seriously the whole movie is based on the iphone.

Another thing that got me confused is how the movie's genre says "horror" but it has no such thing, it's very misleading, it's more of a drama thriller.

I loved the parts when Craig was reading to Harrigan, and how their relationship got stronger, in spite of the vast difference between them.

I guess the main message the film is trying to convey is the effect of modern technology (in this case the smartphone) on our lives, and how it completely disengage us from the real world, and end up controlling us and feeding us lies. And also to be careful what we wish for.

"When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers". Oscar Wilde.

Obvious, it is not a great movie. And many parts of it are far to be inspired. But... .

I saw it for Jaeden Martell and Donald Sutherland . And , maybe, being temptated by the name of Stephen King.

And I love it. For acting, for the house, for the idea of reading books to a venerable rich man, for the portrait of friendship out of death, for a sort of kindness and indulgence for answer to desire of revenge and for crumbs of story remembering pieces of my life.

I do not expected nothing . And being a sentimental guy, I ignored the holes or the incoherence or the confuse message or the pathetism.

First, because Sutherland and Martell are real good.

Second, because it is just a story about ordinary, profound significant things, having the gift/ desire only to remind them and proposing a fair perspective about them.

Not the last, because it is not exactly a horror. More a sort of confession/ reflection/ moral lesson. Working not so bad.

I found Mr. Harrigan's Phone unique. Modern psychological drama; tech horror, I guess. At first, you are guided through very slow-paced storytelling about Craig and his relationship with Mr. Harrigan. This part of the plot is character development. After a turning point near the last third of the story, the horror sets in.

Although Steven King wrote the original short story, this is not a horror movie, even though the movie tries to keep the horror tone throughout its whole length. This movie is about character development and knowing how to deal with death and hard times.

I find this movie to be a worthy adaptation of the short story. However, the story itself is probably not King's best.

Such good acting. It is slow, but you become invested in the characters early enough to stay interested. Donald Sutherland did AMAZING. Every time he was on the screen you wanted to watch him. It's been a while since he was so captivating on screen. It is deep and has an underlying message which may irritate people, but I agree with that message so I related to the movie well. Cell phones/Smart phones aren't always the best use of our time, or the healthiest option for our own minds. They have become addictive and overused in our society to the point that people can no longer think objectively. I don't like that the mom was never really explained.

We live in an 'instant age.' We're used to getting what we want immediately. So, anyone giving this film a bad review probably didn't understand the need to focus and apply patience to a story that unfolds gradually. It is impeccably written. All the story setups and essential bases are cleverly covered. It is brilliantly made with authentic characters supported with superb acting. It moves at comfortable pace with no dull moment or drawn-out, unnecessary scene. An all-round excellent film. Give it a chance and be receptive to rare, excellent storytelling. It could be one of the the best films you've seen in a long time.