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Regarding Henry
Henry Turner is not a very nice man. In fact, he has an infamous reputation as a scummy lawyer. Not only that, but he's generally loveless towards his wife and daughter as well, and shows no signs of caring about anyone but himself. After going to the store one evening, a robber holds him up. When the robber gets impatient with Henry, he shoots him; once in the chest, once in the head. But in a stroke of luck, Henry survives! Only he can't speak, and can't remember anything from his past life...
Mike Nichols makes another fine film. Something he gets very well is how to let the actors dominate the screen, that great performances speak for themselves. And Harrison Ford is nothing short of fantastic. He would be very entertaining playing a scumbag in a film throughout, as we get some nasty funny lines when his ego rises to his head. Especially in the scene where he reprimands his daughter instead of apologizing to her like patient wife Sarah Turner asked. But where I'm even more impressed is how he portrays the same person attempting to master the power of speech again and connect pieces of his previous life. The portrayal is dead-on realistic and very respectful, and really makes his newfound innocence and change of conscience shine through wonderfully, delivering both the funniest and the most heartfelt moments of the film. I did see it coming he would go into a porno theater, but his facial expressions and mixed confusion/curiosity makes it hysterical. Something this movie succeeds with is its positive energy. You just feel so warm inside seeing Henry reconnect with his family and having an overall pleasant and charming personality. The humor is simple, but very funny in a cute kind of way, like the scenes between Henry and his assistant, and him saying to his wife before sex ”I don't know if I can do it like the guy does in that movie”. Completely without any intention of impressing her, just genuine nervosity over how he will perform.
A movie like this can very easily be sad and a Debbie downer to sit through, but films like this one, 50/50 and Untouchables prove that doesn't have to be the case. I find a light and endearing movie like this portraying someone with a sickness or mobility problem much more true-to-life than an overdramatic piece of tear fluff like My Sister's Keeper. You really care about this family, and you love seeing them looking at life from the bright side, and turning Henry's memory loss into a good thing.
As expected, there does happen something unfortunate though,
Everyone in the cast perform greatly. Annette Being is admirable as Sarah Turner, who just like Ford conveys the sweetness inside her character. Then we have Kamian Allen as Henry's daughter Linda, who is so adorable in the role that it's truly a shame she's never appeared in another movie. But of course, I can't conclude this review without mentioning Bill Nunn as Bradley. What a great presence. The way he talks and crack jokes reminds me of people I've had as assistants myself. They really do make the same kind of corny jokes and laugh and smile a lot. Besides being a funnyman, he also offers some great wisdom, showing he really cares for Henry as a friend and wants him to live a happy life together with the family.
Before this movie I didn't even realize what a range Harrison Ford has as an actor. We all know him as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, but here he really transforms into someone entirely different, who's down-to-earth and instantly very likeable. If he wasn't nominated for an award, he got snubbed.
Henry Turner is not a very nice man. In fact, he has an infamous reputation as a scummy lawyer. Not only that, but he's generally loveless towards his wife and daughter as well, and shows no signs of caring about anyone but himself. After going to the store one evening, a robber holds him up. When the robber gets impatient with Henry, he shoots him; once in the chest, once in the head. But in a stroke of luck, Henry survives! Only he can't speak, and can't remember anything from his past life...
Mike Nichols makes another fine film. Something he gets very well is how to let the actors dominate the screen, that great performances speak for themselves. And Harrison Ford is nothing short of fantastic. He would be very entertaining playing a scumbag in a film throughout, as we get some nasty funny lines when his ego rises to his head. Especially in the scene where he reprimands his daughter instead of apologizing to her like patient wife Sarah Turner asked. But where I'm even more impressed is how he portrays the same person attempting to master the power of speech again and connect pieces of his previous life. The portrayal is dead-on realistic and very respectful, and really makes his newfound innocence and change of conscience shine through wonderfully, delivering both the funniest and the most heartfelt moments of the film. I did see it coming he would go into a porno theater, but his facial expressions and mixed confusion/curiosity makes it hysterical. Something this movie succeeds with is its positive energy. You just feel so warm inside seeing Henry reconnect with his family and having an overall pleasant and charming personality. The humor is simple, but very funny in a cute kind of way, like the scenes between Henry and his assistant, and him saying to his wife before sex ”I don't know if I can do it like the guy does in that movie”. Completely without any intention of impressing her, just genuine nervosity over how he will perform.
A movie like this can very easily be sad and a Debbie downer to sit through, but films like this one, 50/50 and Untouchables prove that doesn't have to be the case. I find a light and endearing movie like this portraying someone with a sickness or mobility problem much more true-to-life than an overdramatic piece of tear fluff like My Sister's Keeper. You really care about this family, and you love seeing them looking at life from the bright side, and turning Henry's memory loss into a good thing.
As expected, there does happen something unfortunate though,
WARNING: spoilers below
that being when Henry finds out his wife was cheating, and then that he cheated on her himself. But they don't extend it any longer than neccessary, and it's completely understandable considering what a jerk Henry was before he suffered memory loss. And best of all, it ends happily.
Everyone in the cast perform greatly. Annette Being is admirable as Sarah Turner, who just like Ford conveys the sweetness inside her character. Then we have Kamian Allen as Henry's daughter Linda, who is so adorable in the role that it's truly a shame she's never appeared in another movie. But of course, I can't conclude this review without mentioning Bill Nunn as Bradley. What a great presence. The way he talks and crack jokes reminds me of people I've had as assistants myself. They really do make the same kind of corny jokes and laugh and smile a lot. Besides being a funnyman, he also offers some great wisdom, showing he really cares for Henry as a friend and wants him to live a happy life together with the family.
Before this movie I didn't even realize what a range Harrison Ford has as an actor. We all know him as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, but here he really transforms into someone entirely different, who's down-to-earth and instantly very likeable. If he wasn't nominated for an award, he got snubbed.