The Book of Henry

Last updated

The Book of Henry
The Book of Henry film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Colin Trevorrow
Written by Gregg Hurwitz
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography John Schwartzman
Edited by Kevin Stitt
Music by Michael Giacchino
Production
companies
Distributed by Focus Features
Release dates
  • June 14, 2017 (2017-06-14)(LAFF)
  • June 16, 2017 (2017-06-16)(United States)
Running time
105 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$10 million [2]
Box office$4.6 million [3]

The Book of Henry is a 2017 American drama thriller film directed by Colin Trevorrow and written by Gregg Hurwitz. The film stars Naomi Watts, Jaeden Martell (then known as Jaeden Lieberher), Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler, and Dean Norris. [4] [5] The story concerns a plan hatched by a young genius, dying of cancer, to save the girl next door from abuse.

Contents

The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 14, 2017. It was released in theaters by Focus Features on June 16, 2017, was unsuccessful at the box office, and received generally negative reviews from critics, who cited the screenplay's jarring plot twists and tonal shifts, and Trevorrow's direction, although the cast and the film's ambition received some praise.

Plot

In a small suburban town in the Hudson Valley, 11-year-old genius Henry Carpenter and his younger brother Peter are being raised by their single mother Susan, a waitress who is working on writing children's books. Henry has used his intellect to invest successfully in the stock market, building up a very substantial nest egg for his family. He also protects Peter from a school bully and builds Rube Goldberg machines in their treehouse. Henry and Susan are both fond of their next-door neighbor, Henry's classmate Christina Sickleman, who has recently become glum.

Henry believes that he sees Christina being abused by her stepfather Glenn, the local police commissioner. He reports the abuse to social services and the school principal, Janice Wilder, but Glenn has connections throughout the local government, and Wilder is reluctant to challenge the commissioner without "conclusive evidence". Henry is unable to get the authorities to launch a serious investigation that would protect Christina. Henry tells his mother that when someone is in trouble, those who can help must take action. He develops a detailed plan to rescue Christina that he details in a notebook. After a violent seizure, he is taken to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with a brain tumor and undergoes surgery. Anticipating his death, he tells Peter to give Susan the notebook. Days later, Henry dies.

Susan is distraught at Henry's death and has difficulty functioning, but when Peter gives her the notebook, she focuses on Henry's plan. She tries unsuccessfully to interest a nearby social-services agency in opening an investigation. One night, from the boys' bedroom window, she sees Glenn in Christina's room and decides to carry out the plan. The notebook and an accompanying cassette tape describe Henry's step-by-step plan to kill Glenn with a sniper rifle while covering Susan's tracks so that tracing the murder back to her will be impossible. Her alibi is to be provided by executing the murder while Christina and Peter are performing at the school talent show.

Susan slips away from the show, putting the plan into motion. As she is about to pull the trigger, she realizes that Henry's plan, though ingenious, is the construct of a child, and she must act as an adult. She immediately confronts Glenn and tells him that she will expose him for what he has done to Christina. He replies that everyone will believe him, not her, and tells her that he is going to call his police chief to come arrest her. At the same time, affected by Christina's dance performance at the talent show, Principal Wilder decides to follow through on the abuse accusation and contacts the authorities. Glenn returns home, calls his relative at Social Services, and learns that an investigation is being opened into his abuse of Christina. As the police arrive at his house, Glenn kills himself. Susan legally adopts Christina as her daughter. She also finishes writing one of her children's books, as Henry had urged her to do.

Cast

Production

Hurwitz wrote the first draft of the screenplay by 1998. The film was eventually optioned by Jenette Kahn, and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment joined as a producer. An executive at Kimmel Entertainment thought that Colin Trevorrow would be right to direct The Book of Henry. Trevorrow and Hurwitz found each other to be congenial, but then Trevorrow was hired to direct Jurassic World . Another director was considered. By early 2015, after Trevorrow finished Jurassic World, he returned to The Book of Henry. [7] [8] Kimmel Entertainment and Double Nickel Entertainment financed and co-produced the film; producers are Sidney Kimmel, Kahn and Adam Richman. [9] Focus Features obtained worldwide distribution rights. [10]

Principal photography on the film began in September 2015 in and around New York City, [6] [11] [12] [13] and concluded in November. [14] The music was composed by Michael Giacchino. [15] Stevie Nicks sang a new song in the film. [16]

Release

The Book of Henry was scheduled to be released on September 16, 2016, [17] but Focus rescheduled the film's release to June 16, 2017, [18] concluding that during the summer, the film release schedule would offer fewer adult-oriented films that might compete against The Book of Henry for older viewers. [19] The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 14, 2017. [20] In its opening weekend, the film grossed $1.4 million from 579 theaters (an average of $2,460 per theater), finishing 13th at the box office, making it "by far the biggest start among the new Specialties" opening that weekend. [21] The film was, however, not a financial success. [3]

The film was featured at the July 2017 Ischia Global Film & Music Festival, where Trevorrow was honored with the Breakout Director award for the film. [22]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 22% based on 147 reviews, with an average rating of 4.10/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Book of Henry deserves a few points for ambition, but its tonal juggling act – and a deeply maudlin twist – may leave viewers gaping in disbelief rather than choking back tears." [23] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [24] PostTrak reported audiences gave the film an 86% overall positive score and a 65% "definite recommend". [21]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote: "There's the kind of bad movie that just sits there, unfolding with grimly predictable monotony. Then there's the kind where the badness expands and metastasizes, taking on a jaw-dropping life of its own, pushing through to ever-higher levels of garishness. The Book of Henry ... is of the latter, you've-got-to-see-it-to-disbelieve-it variety." [25] The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, in a critical review, said that, "in its pure misjudged ickiness, bad-acting ropiness, and its quirksy, smirksy passive-aggressive tweeness, this insidiously terrible film could hardly get any more skin-crawling." [26] Writing for Vulture , Emily Yoshida opined, "It does not suffice to call The Book of Henry bad; it's nonfunctional, so poorly conceived from the ground up as to slip out of the grasp of the usual standards one applies to narrative film. It might be admirable if it wasn't such torture to watch." [27]

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club wrote: "Director Colin Trevorrow ... lacks any of the eccentricities that might make this quirky and contrived material work, even at face value," though he added, "its above-average performances and insistence on following through on an off-beat premise give it a hint of battiness." [28] Writing for Rolling Stone , Peter Travers gave it 1.5 stars out of 4, saying: "The Book of Henry starts well, begins flirting with absurdity in the middle – and ends in crashing disaster. But the feeling persists that director Colin Treverrow believes every word in the shambles of a 20-year-old screenplay by crime novelist Gregg Hurwitz." [29] Stephen Schaefer of the Boston Herald was one of the minority of critics who praised the film as "endearing" and "smart". [30]

Related Research Articles

<i>Jurassic World</i> 2015 film directed by Colin Trevorrow

Jurassic World is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Derek Connolly from a story by Jaffa and Silver. It is the first installment in the Jurassic World trilogy and the fourth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series, following Jurassic Park III (2001). The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, and Irrfan Khan. Wong reprised his role from the original Jurassic Park film. Set 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World takes place on the same fictional island of Isla Nublar, located off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A successful theme park of cloned dinosaurs, dubbed Jurassic World, has operated on the island for years, bringing John Hammond's dream to fruition. The park plunges into chaos when a transgenic dinosaur escapes from its enclosure and goes on a rampage, while a conspiracy orchestrated by the park's staff creates more dangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellie Sattler</span> Fictional character

Dr. Ellie Sattler is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. She is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 film adaptation, casting Laura Dern as Sattler and giving the character a more substantial role compared to the novel. She is a paleobotanist in both the novel and its film adaptation. In the novel, she is a student of Dr. Alan Grant. For the film, Spielberg made them a romantic couple, with Sam Neill portraying Grant.

<i>Jurassic Park</i> American science fiction media franchise

Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment bought the rights to Crichton's novel Jurassic Park before it was published. The book was successful, as was Steven Spielberg's 1993 film adaptation. The film received a theatrical 3D re-release in 2013, and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A 1995 sequel novel, The Lost World, was followed by a film adaptation in 1997. Subsequent films in the series from Jurassic Park III (2001) onward are not based on novels by Crichton.

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment is an American financer, film and television production company founded in 2004 by philanthropist and film producer Sidney Kimmel. Sidney Kimmel Entertainment focuses on bringing entertainment projects to audiences in association with studio distribution partners.

Gregg Andrew Hurwitz is an American novelist, screenwriter, and comic book writer. Most of his novels are in the thriller fiction genre. His script writing work includes a film adaptation of his book Orphan X, a TV adaptation of Joby Warrick's Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS, and a screenplay for the 2017 film The Book of Henry. He also has written comic books for comic book publishers like DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

Derek Connolly is an American screenwriter and film producer. He is best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Colin Trevorrow, and has written the films Safety Not Guaranteed and the Jurassic World trilogy, which is a part of the Jurassic Park franchise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin Trevorrow</span> American filmmaker

Colin Trevorrow is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He made his feature directorial debut with the science fiction comedy Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) to critical and commercial success. Trevorrow achieved mainstream recognition for his work on the Jurassic World entries of the Jurassic Park franchise, which began when he co-wrote and directed the eponymous first installment in 2015. After the film grossed over $1 billion, Trevorrow co-wrote the 2018 sequel Fallen Kingdom and co-wrote and directed the third installment Dominion (2022). He was also the co-writer and director of Star Wars: Duel of the Fates until his departure in 2017, although he retained story credit when the project was re-envisioned as The Rise of Skywalker (2019). On many of his projects, Trevorrow collaborates with fellow screenwriter Derek Connolly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaeden Martell</span> American actor (born 2003)

Jaeden Martell is an American actor. He played the role of Bill Denbrough in the 2017 film adaptation of Stephen King's novel It and reprised the role in the film's 2019 sequel. He also appeared in the mystery film Knives Out (2019) and starred in the miniseries Defending Jacob (2020).

<i>Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom</i> 2018 film directed by J. A. Bayona

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a 2018 science fiction action film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow. The sequel to Jurassic World (2015), it is the second installment in the Jurassic World trilogy and the fifth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from previous films in the series, with Toby Jones, Ted Levine, and Rafe Spall joining the cast. The story follows Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they return to the fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from an impending volcanic eruption, only to discover a mercenary team's ulterior motives to bring them to the US mainland.

<i>Jurassic World Dominion</i> 2022 film directed by Colin Trevorrow

Jurassic World Dominion is a 2022 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Trevorrow. It is the sequel to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), the final installment in the Jurassic World trilogy, and the sixth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series, concluding the storyline that began with Jurassic Park (1993). Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Omar Sy reprise their roles from the previous films, along with Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill, who appear together for the first time since the original Jurassic Park. New cast members include DeWanda Wise and Mamoudou Athie.

Production of the 2015 film Jurassic World was stalled for years in development hell while the film's storyline underwent numerous revisions. Development of the film, known then as Jurassic Park IV, began in 2001. William Monahan was announced as screenwriter in 2002, and the film was scheduled for a 2005 release. When Monahan left to work on another project, he was replaced in 2004 by John Sayles. By 2005, the start of production had stalled, as executive producer Steven Spielberg was not satisfied with any of the script drafts. In 2006, Jurassic Park III director Joe Johnston was set to direct the film, which was subsequently expected for release in 2008. By 2010, filming had yet to begin. Johnston and Spielberg intended to work on the film following the completion of their own respective film projects. Writer Mark Protosevich was hired in 2011, although two story treatments by him were rejected.

<i>Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous</i> American streaming television series

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous is an American animated science fiction action-adventure television series developed by Zack Stentz for Netflix and is the first television series in the Jurassic Park franchise. Aaron Hammersley and Scott Kreamer serve as showrunners and executive produce the series along with Lane Lueras, Steven Spielberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Frank Marshall. The main cast features the voices of Paul-Mikél Williams, Sean Giambrone, Kausar Mohammed, Jenna Ortega, Ryan Potter, and Raini Rodriguez as a group of teenage campers who become stranded on Isla Nublar after multiple dinosaurs escape their habitats.

Dinosaurs in <i>Jurassic Park</i> Dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park franchise

Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction adventure media franchise. It focuses on the cloning of dinosaurs through ancient DNA, extracted from mosquitoes that have been fossilized in amber. The franchise explores the ethics of cloning and genetic engineering, and the morals behind de-extinction.

<i>Star Wars: Duel of the Fates</i> Unproduced film script

Star Wars: Duel of the Fates was the original draft of the third film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Named after the franchise's musical composition of the same name, the script was written in 2016 by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly while Trevorrow was attached as director. After Trevorrow left the project in 2017, it was replaced with a script by J. J. Abrams and Chris Terrio that became 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, although the film retained modified ideas from Duel of the Fates.

This is the discography of Michael Giacchino, an American composer.

Henry Wu (<i>Jurassic Park</i>) Fictional character in Jurassic Park franchise

Dr. Henry Wu is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. He also appears briefly in the novel's 1993 film adaptation and plays a larger role in the Jurassic World film trilogy. Dr. Wu is the lead geneticist for the dinosaur theme parks Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, overseeing the de-extinction of dinosaurs through genetic engineering. He is killed by a Velociraptor in the novel, but survives throughout the film series, in which he is portrayed by actor BD Wong. Although Wu is a supporting character in the novel, he has a drastically reduced role in the film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. Wong and Wu are both Asian-American, and the actor believed that the role was reduced, to his disappointment, because of "racial exclusion in Hollywood".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Dearing</span> Fictional character

Claire Dearing is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. She is introduced in the fourth film Jurassic World (2015), which is also the first installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. Colin Trevorrow directed and co-wrote the film, casting Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire. She is one of the three main protagonists in the Jurassic World trilogy, along with her love interest Owen Grady, portrayed by Chris Pratt, and her adoptive daughter, Maisie Lockwood, who made her debut in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. In the first film, she is the operations manager of Jurassic World, a dinosaur theme park located on Isla Nublar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owen Grady</span> Fictional character

Owen Grady is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in the fourth film Jurassic World (2015), which is also the first installment in the Jurassic World trilogy. Colin Trevorrow directed and co-wrote the film, casting Chris Pratt as Owen. He is one of the three main protagonists in the trilogy, along with his love interest Claire Dearing, and his adoptive daughter, Maisie Lockwood, who made her debut in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Owen is a U.S. Navy veteran and animal behavioral scientist researching Velociraptor at the dinosaur theme park Jurassic World, located on Isla Nublar. By the end of the first film, he and Claire begin a relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rexy</span> Tyrannosaurus specimen from Jurassic Park

Rexy is the colloquial nickname for a fictional Tyrannosaurus rex that appears throughout the Jurassic Park franchise. She first appeared in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, and made her onscreen debut in the 1993 film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. She returns in the 2015 film Jurassic World and its sequels, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).

References

  1. ↑ "The Book of Henry". British Board of Film Classification . Archived from the original on May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  2. ↑ de Seife, Ethan (December 30, 2015). "Jurassic World Director Colin Trevorrow Looks Ahead". Seven Days. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "The Book of Henry (2017)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  4. ↑ Perez, Rodrigo (May 5, 2016). "Interview: Colin Trevorrow Talks The Book of Henry & Going From Blockbusters to Indie Films Again". ThePlaylist.net. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  5. ↑ Gettell, Oliver (October 5, 2015). "Colin Trevorrow introduces young Book of Henry stars on Twitter". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Manskar, Noah (November 3, 2015). "Naomi Watts movie The Book of Henry films in Williston Park". The Island Now. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  7. ↑ Le, D. Dona (January 1, 2016). "Exclusive Q&A with Gregg Hurwitz '95 (Orphan X, The Book of Henry)". Harvardwood. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  8. ↑ Kit, Borys (March 30, 2015). "'Jurassic World' Director Colin Trevorrow Tackling 'Book of Henry'". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (March 30, 2015). "Jurassic World's Colin Trevorrow to Direct Book of Henry for Sidney Kimmel". thewrap. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  10. ↑ Kroll, Justin (August 19, 2015). "Jacob Tremblay, Jaeden Lieberher to Co-Star in Colin Trevorrow's Book of Henry". Variety.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  11. ↑ Evry, Max (October 5, 2015). "Jurassic World Director Colin Trevorrow's The Book of Henry Begins Filming". comingsoon.net. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Book of Henry Filming – Update | Village of South Nyack". southnyack.ny.gov. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  13. ↑ Ferraro, Tom (November 12, 2015). "Our Town: The day the circus came to Williston Park". The Island Now. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  14. ↑ Lowe, Kinsey (November 21, 2015). "Colin Trevorrow Tweets The Book Of Henry has Wrapped Filming". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Michael Giacchino to Score Colin Trevorrow's The Book of Henry". FilmMusicReporter.com. February 16, 2016. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  16. ↑ Vulpo, Mike (June 13, 2017). "Stevie Nicks Releases New Song for The Book of Henry: Listen to 'Your Hand I Will Never Let It Go' Now". Eonline.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  17. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 31, 2016). "Colin Trevorrow's The Book Of Henry to Hit Theaters in September". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  18. ↑ Gettell, Oliver (August 2, 2016). "Colin Trevorrow's drama Book of Henry delayed until 2017". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  19. ↑ Lang, Brent (August 2, 2016). "Colin Trevorrow's 'Book of Henry' Pushed Back to 2017 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on January 17, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
  20. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (May 2, 2017). "L.A. Film Fest: Colin Trevorrow's The Book of Henry Set for Opening Night". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  21. 1 2 Brooks, Brian (June 18, 2017). "'Maudie', 'The Journey' & 'Hare Krishna' Open Solid – Specialty Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  22. ↑ Anderson, Ariston (June 26, 2017). "Ischia Fest to Honor Colin Trevorrow, 'Beguiled' to Open Fest". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  23. ↑ "The Book of Henry (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  24. ↑ "The Book of Henry reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  25. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (June 14, 2017). "Film Review: 'The Book of Henry'". Variety . Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  26. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (June 15, 2017). "The Book of Henry review – icky revenge weepie pours syrup over everything". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  27. ↑ Yoshida, Emily (June 15, 2017). "The Book of Henry Must Be Seen to Be Believed (But Please Don't See It)". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  28. ↑ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (June 15, 2017). "A tween genius plots a murder in the contrived Book Of Henry". A.V. Club. Archived from the original on June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  29. ↑ Travers, Peter (June 15, 2017). "'The Book of Henry' Review: Boy Meets Girl, Ends Up in WTF Tearjerker-Thriller". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  30. ↑ Schaefer, Stephen (June 16, 2017). "Book of Henry: Endearing, smart tale of child genius". Boston Herald . Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.