Henry Turner (Harrison Ford) is a successful and ambitious lawyer who doesn’t really care much about right or wrong. He is not exactly an affectionate man and although he seems to be getting along OK with his wife Sarah (Annette Bening), he is stern and not really loving towards his 12-year-old daughter Rachel.
One day things change completely when Henry gets shot in the head during a robbery. He doesn’t remember who he is. Moreover, he can’t (remember how to) walk or talk. Sarah does his best to help him out. Henry’s best friend becomes Bradley (Bill Nunn)- the physical therapist who is literally teaching how to get back on his feet. When Henry recovers, his speech and walking go back to normal while he still doesn’t remember who he is. He goes back to live with his family. He tries to figure out who he is and he gets to know more and more about his old self, he doesn’t really like what he finds out. As he reconstructs his life, he is a loving and modest fan. And although his family adores the new Henry, his boss, friends and colleagues aren’t all that thrilled and more complications will get in Henry’s way.
Regarding Henry is a wonderful emotional journey with touching performances from all of the cast, especially Ford, Bening and Mikki Allen who plays the daughter. The story is wonderfully humane. For the first time in my movie-watching years, this is the movie that made me a true admirer for Harrison Ford’s talent as an actor. Sure, he is a great action hero and I was pleasantly surprised by him in Six Days Seven Nights, where he showed more comedic talent. But here Ford shows an entirely different side. His role starts as arrogant, cold, charismatic and confident. He then goes through a bewildered adjusting process where his character gains innocence. Later he is eager to learn and love and makes for a great transition. It is always a pleasure to watch Bening on screen and Mikki Allen is really good as Rachel. It is a film by Mike Nichols who loves directing different genres. Remember his Wolf? Or Closer? The fact that this story is written by J.J Abrams (creator of shows Lost and Alias) may be a surprise for Lost fans. After all, this story has no mystery, suspense or action. It is all about life, feelings, family and love. But for those of you who have seen 1992’s Forever Young (starring Mel Gibson, Elijah Wood and Jamie Lee Curtis) will make perfect sense- as that timeless romance/comedy/sci-fi as it was also written by J.J. Abrams certainly can create and write great stories, regardless of the genre.
Regarding Henry is a 1991 movie, rated 6.5 on IMDB- voted by over 12.600 people. I will admit that it is not one of the most impressive or original scripts ever written but this doesn’t change the fact that this is one solid and heart-warming film. I think it deserves a 7, at the very least. Oh, obviously, do stay away if you don’t enjoy drama.
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