Day 158 of the challenge! I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I did not enjoy The Book of Henry one single bit. What's supposed to be sincere and quirky ends up coming across more as calculated and tone deaf. The film is so inconsistent with everything it does (from plot structure, character motivations, and overall thematic tone), you can't help but feel a bit infuriated with The Book of Henry as you slog through it.
The film quickly starts layering on the sap right from the get go with our introduction to the main cast. A savant-like 11 year old child genius that supports the family? Interesting. Normal but endearing younger brother that sees the world through the innocent lens of a child? I can dig it. Useless, video game playing, alcoholic, inept mom that can't make a single adult decision without consulting her genius 11 year old? Okay... There's something to be said about this role reversal. I just don't know what it is. Lord knows the plot doesn't help on that front.
The Book of Henry feels like 3 different movies all mashed together into a blender, but not quite mixing right. There's the child sexual abuse thriller that jump starts the whole ordeal before taking an extend break in favor of a family drama that focuses on mourning and growing from it, before suddenly going back to the abuse story, but not before turning it into an awkward hitman comedy. No joke, that's honestly the best way to describe this movie's story. In each case, the film takes a huge hit of tonal whiplash that eventually makes you not care anymore (in my case anyway...).
Still, the biggest offending factor present in The Book of Henry (and one that I'm really starting to notice in director Colin Trevorrow's past films) is his use of female characters. Trevorrow is no stranger to this kind of controversy, having been in the middle of one with Jurassic World for it's treatment and representation of female characters (remember "Heelgate?"). That specific film has a plethora of mean spirited issues, issues that are even more apparent in The Book of Henry.
For context, I'm going to break down the 4 major female leads featured in the film: Susan, (the inept mother I mentioned earlier), Christina, (the child abuse victim), Shiela, (a depressed and alcoholic waitress Susan works with), and Principle Wilder (the school principle that allows the abuse to go on out of fear of a scandal).
Now the males: Henry (the 11 year old genius that supports and manipulates his mother), Glenn Sickleman (the abuser that also happens to be the police commissioner), Peter (Henry's magical younger brother) and David (a charming brain surgeon and stable love interest for Susan). Can you see what I'm getting at here? Watch Trevorrow's first student film on Youtube if you want more examples (maybe have a drink first).
I'm a huge fan of Jurassic World and Trevorrow's first feature Safety Not Guaranteed (granted I haven't seen that one in years. I plan on revisiting it with a more analytical mindset) so I'm hoping Trevorrow can learn from his many conversations about these particular issues and grow from them. But as it stands (and as great and passionate a filmmaker I think he is), I also think it's for the best that he doesn't have creative control over Rey anymore for Star Wars 9.