Regarding Henry (1991)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writer (WGA):

J.J. Abrams (written by)

Release Date:

10 July 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The story of a man who had everything, but found something more.

Plot:

Henry is a lawyer who survives a shooting only to find he cannot remember anything. If that weren't enough...

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Brain Damage | Shot In The Head | Learning | Recovery

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Harrison Ford	...	Henry Turner
Annette Bening	...	Sarah Turner
Michael Haley	...	Court Clerk (as R.M. Haley)
Stanley Swerdlow	...	Mr. Matthews (as Stanley H. Swerdlow)
Julie Follansbhee	...	Mrs. Matthews
Rebecca Miller	...	Linda
Bruce Altman	...	Bruce, Henry's Partner
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Jessica, Henry's Secretary
Donald Moffat	...	Charlie Cameron
Mikki Allen	...	Rachel Turner
Aida Linares	...	Rosella
John MacKay	...	George
Mary Gilbert	...	Julia
Peter Appel	...	Eddie the Doorman
Harsh Nayyar	...	Liquor Store Owner

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Australia:M | UK:12 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (1992) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Burke Foundation, White Plains, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

According to John Leguizamo in his autobiography, he received hate mail from angry Harrison Ford fans because his character shoots Henry.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene where Henry is asked to identify different wooden shapes as part of his rehabilitation, a nurse removes the wooden circle from the table when Bradley enters the room. When we switch angles and see Henry's face, the wooden circle has not been removed and is still on the table.

Quotes:

Bradley: Hey Hank, whatcha doin'?
Henry: Paintin'. Crackers.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Becker: Regarding Reggie (#1.22)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

PIANO CONCERTO No. 21 IN C MAJOR

a un-involving melodrama with one performance that fascinates up to a point

It's a little odd to see a film like 'Temple of Doom' one day, and then seeing Regarding Henry quite soon after. Harrison Ford is not usually an actor thought of for his range, but more for his star presence in films, of the swaggering, sarcastic, and all-around bad-ass of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, the Fugitive, and Air Force One, someone who can even in his later years open a movie in theaters fairly well. When he ventures out to really give a full performance and expand his talents, it can be hit or miss. Regarding Henry displays his skills of going past his usual star persona, while showing that there isn't much to reach for in some of these riskier roles. Because the film, directed by Mike Nichols and written by JJ Abrams, is lackluster in the ways that matter, of giving as good as it could promise on its premise, and with at least a few contrivances.

Henry, a successful lawyer, gets changed completely when two bullets wipe out his motor reflexes and the majority of his memory. Coming back from scratch to his wife (Annette Benning), daughter, and friends and colleagues, proves to be a slow but revealing task as Henry becomes a more enjoyable and open kind of person, in his way. It's not without some interest in these early scenes, like the first half an hour of the film, where the bulk of this transformation takes place. His rehabilitation early on hints at what will come- the innocence of Henry, childlike at first, and then with more on the mind as the past comes back to him, for better and worse. Ford accomplishes this performance with subtlety he's not known for, but at the same time he also has to play to a certain type, which then starts to limit him. It's hard not to watch him on screen, as good as he can be in what he does, but in subverting himself with this script it grows wearier as the story goes into more predictable territory.

Another problem, and considering this is Mike (The Graduate, Carnal Knowledge) Nichols, there isn't enough dramatic conflict to really get involved with the characters, and some performances seem less dimensional than should be (Henry's rehab guy, the daughter with her same dour face). The borderline of this being a grown-up story of an after school special gets on the line, and then crosses to and fro, that it becomes frustrating. It's ironic though to say I would recommend watching the film just once, as it does have enough to it to watch once, for Ford and Benning's work. That it's a disappointment though of what could've been is undeniable for me. Still, if you want to see Ford doing something non-kicking ass and taking names, start here.