The Book of Henry 2017

     Susan Carpenter works as a waitress at a diner with her friend Sheila.  Susan has two boys and she’s a single mom.  Henry is 11 years old and he is smart beyond his years.  He has set up investments and a portfolio for his mom and she doesn’t want to talk about it or think about it.  Henry says she can get a new car and she doesn’t need to work but she doesn’t listen to that either.  Peter is the younger son at 8 years old and he has trouble with bullies at school.  Henry tries to be there for Peter when he sees him on the ground.  Susan and Henry begin to learn that Christina next door living with her stepfather has a dangerous secret.  Henry is trying to gather information and find out how he and Susan can help Christina.

     Henry feels he is the one that needs to keep his mom and his brother together.  Susan plays video games and not Henry.  He’s much too serious for that and he doesn’t have time or want to make time.  I was surprised at the low reviews?  I thought this film was interesting and different from a lot of family centered films.  3 ½* (I liked this movie) 

          

105 min, Drama directed by Colin Trevorrow with Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, Dean Norris, Lee Pace, Maddie Zieglr, Tonya Pinkins, Bobby Moynihan, Geraldine Hughes, Maxwell Simkins.

Note:  Imdb 6.5 out of 10, 20% critic 63% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Metacritic 31 out of 100 with 31 critics 4.5 out of 10 with 35 reviews, The Guardian 1* out of 5* review by John Patterson.

Special Note:  Filmed in Croton-on-Hudson, Manhattan, Nyack and New York City, New York.  Jacob Tremblay was the boy character in Room of 2015.  The screenplay was reported to be 19 years old and it was more of a dark comedy.  The time period would be 1998?  Trevorrow didn’t want to make that type of film.  This is the first film for Maddie Ziegler as Christina.  Watts worked with Lieberher on St. Vincent of 2014.  Watts and Tremblay worked together on Shut In of 2016.  There is a mistake, Henry uses a payphone to make stock trades and he uses fractions.  US markets changed to decimals on April 9, 2001.  In a later, scene a doctor shows a scan on a tablet too advanced for pre-2001.  The budget was $10 million and box office was $4.4 million.  Release was planned for September 16, 2016 but Focus rescheduled release to June 16, 2017 finishing 13 at the box office.