I went into The Book Of Henry expecting essentially a kids film, I guess by the title I figured this would be something akin to Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010). I was wrong, I was really really wrong.
The Book of Henry is a masterful clever title that isn't for kids and I wouldn't even say is suitable "Family" viewing. It tells the story of a single mum with her two children, she's essentially failing at life and the eldest of her two sons (Still a little boy) is the man of the house. He's a child genius and his mother depends on him to an overwhelming extent. He begins to fear his friend next door is being abused by her father so sets about a powerful intricate plan but things don't go to plan and the whole film goes in a direction I certainly did not forsee.
A true tour de force The Book of Henry had me gripped with it's remarkable plot and strong performances, by the half way point I expected this to potentially be another 10 but sadly it fell short.
Don't get me wrong The Book of Henry is a good film, it's clever, it's witty, it's unpredictable and it's heartfelt but somewhere along the way it falls short of greatness.
It's tone is inconsistent and it would be very hard for me to narrow down a demographic, it's similiar to The Lovely Bones (2009) in it's dark overtones but oddly quaint imagery.
Well made and certainly an original piece this perhaps should have been better but regardless is a sweet little film.
The Good:
Unpredictible
Powerful stuff
The Bad:
Fails to truly deliver on its potential
Not sure Watts was the best casting choice
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
Not every child actor makes me want to dive into the screen and slap them repeatedly. Most, but not all.
Naomi Watts tends to pick movies that are simply too good for her
