WIDESCREEN FOCUS: THE BOOK OF HENRY

THE BOOK OF HENRY | Focus Features | Directed by Colin Trevorrow | Drama | 105 min. | PG-13

There has been a wonderful procession in young adult films that can viewed between children and adults over the past year that work to encourage conversation, not extra rounds of popcorn and the bathroom: last year's disturbingly undervalued A MONSTER CALLS, LITTLE MEN, GIFTED and now, THE BOOK OF HENRY. Understandably, its release was oddly timed against CARS 3 and at the top of the summer. The film is better nestled in with the change of fall and the back to school fare. When it looked fall below the top ten as of Sunday, I felt it absolutely necessary to write an article about it following my advance screening the week prior.  
This feature is truly deserving of a wider audience, a better release result, all for parents and guardians to take note of it as it is endearingly poignant as much as it is necessary viewing for the pre-teens in their lives.  
Now, let's get into why ...

Peter Carpenter (Jacob Tremblay) and Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher) are all precocious brotherly business.

Articles on this film have lashed out at its far-fetched plot of an eleven-year-old delivering the smarts to carry the family to financial prosperity and moral challenging circumstances. This is where it needs to be called out that films themselves are frankly made to deliver pure escapism at its finest form to the world; once you accept that, this film does a fine job of hitting a number of notches across the plot to help foster a worthwhile dialogue between adults and children. It sails through some strong, weighty topics in a way that are normally butchered by other films in their extreme drama and severity to the viewer, but, in this film makes them accessible to ask questions about their placement and results to any age. This feature does so by first from the vantage point of the lead, Henry Carpenter (Jaeden Lieberher, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL) and his world view of his mother (Naomi Watts, THE IMPOSSIBLE), brother (Jacob Tremblay, ROOM, played achingly tender as his brother, Peter) girl next door (Maddie Ziegler, muse for all of SIA's videos since 'Chandelier') and the upstate New York small town he just happened to be raised in. Chunks of the plot are noticably missing - like the lack of father without explanation other than it opens the door wide open for the direct emotive connection between mother and her two children - but makes way to get to the heart of this film: relationships and what can happen when hit head on with external hardships.

Peter (Tremblay) runs to join his brother in the midst of inventing the next great gadget for the world in their backyard.

Mother Susan (Watts) has the buoying emotional intelligence to pull the boys through anything but it is Henry who becomes the man of the house years beyond what is considered normal due to his insane IQ, which covers the scientific world and cup runeth over into the common sense category. But Henry is still a kid, all of eleven to that effect, and needs parental guidance to navigate the tricky, jaded and acerbic situations placed in the way by the adults that surround him. Falling lightly on the spectrum, his no nonsense way of looking at life is explained by a major game changer to the family that finds its way into their world midway through the film.

Henry (Lieberher) feverishly works into his book for the family holding up brother Peter (Tremblay) literally and figuratively.

To help Henry, Peter and his mother Susan are an interesting array of characters, including the sorely underused Sarah Silverman (as Sheila, who acts as Henry's long-time adult ladycrush, to his witty repartee demise, at every turn for them both. Best friends with a good round of wine to mother Susan), Lee Pace (who, again, was almost unnecessary as the hospital doctor for the Carpetners, other than placed to propel the plot. When he is on the screen though, his earnest, heartstrong nature shines) and of course, the girl next door, Christina (Ziegler). It is the latter's turn of events that pushes the single-parent household into major ethical dilemma that touches on parental guidance, gun possession, child abuse and ultimately, the powers of guardianship. It is this heavy material that is handled with a strong sense of responsibility, but, set in an almost (namesake as well, interstingly enough for Henry) Beverly Cleary type of against-all-odds sleuthing and fight against the establishment. It works though with a major pivot of the movie taking place towards the last ten minutes that helps acknowledge the near impossible position the family has been put in, with the reverse of mother to child growing together.

The Carpenters -Henry (Lieberher), Peter (Tremblay) and Susan (Watts)- grow together in front of the film audience in wonderful ways.

It is this kid-caper-meets-real-life round scenario that makes it all the more worth viewing as it aligns the fantastical of film with today's topical world of news churning headlines. How does someone explain the horrors of the news when they are almost inexplicable in today's age? This film, though in strong need of suspension of belief, accomplishes that along with some full on 'ugly cry' moments that equal the heart smiles to make it needed viewing for families with children above the double digits (maybe nine but again, the film is rated PG-13 so the promise of parentla guidance is what is needed here regardless of age) to elicit the right pile of laughs, tears and questions to keep everyone thinking well after the film hits the end note of what will most likely receive an Oscar nomination in '18: Stevie Nicks performing 'Your Hand, I Will Never Let It Go' a song impromptu given from mother Carpenter to her kids in a sweet, endearing scene of the film that glowingly shows the spectrum of love and caring throughout this feature.

THE BOOK OF HENRY is now playing in select theaters.