The Book of Henry

Director Colin Trevorrow’s The Book of Henry is a wonderful coming-of-age story, not about the children in the film, but about a mother played by the superb Naomi Watts.

Watts plays the mother (Susan) of two sons, the precocious and brilliant Henry (Jaeden Lieberher) and the shy Peter (Jacob Tremblay).  

At age 11, Henry is the adult in the family, handling the finances and building a fortune in stocks, while the flighty Susan works as a diner waitress with her friend Sheila, brilliantly played by Sarah Silverman.

When Henry discovers that his next-door neighbor, a police chief (Dean Norris), is abusing his step-daughter (Maddie Ziegler), he devises a plan to save the young girl.

Writer Gregg Hurwitz has written an excellent script and Editor Kevin Stitt has done a super job of stringing together Cinematographer John Schwartzman’s images.

I give The Book of Henry a 4.5 out of 5.