Just Henry

JUST HENRY concerns the plight of a boy growing up in a small Yorkshire town, circa 1950. He misses his WWII hero dad, doesn't like school and doesn't see much point to it even though a new inspiring teacher helps in this regard, and meets Grace, a very interesting girl who finds herself caught between Henry and his mortal foe, Paul. Like many BBC films, JUST HENRY does a fine job of meshing light, charming, funny moods with some very serious conflicts. Not a lot of frills and/or fast action--just an evenly paced film with a some truly memorable characters. Some really tense and unexpected stuff happens toward the end.

JUST HENRY is based upon a novel by Michelle Magorian and has been criticized for doing paltry justice to the book. All I know is that I enjoyed this film, and if the novel is much better (which is often the case), then I look forward to reading it.

For me good drama just clicks. It grabs me, I am hooked. There have been many good examples on TV recently but this is not one of them.

After the first few minutes I became aware of the actor's lines, always a sign that a film is not well written. As the film progressed it became more phony and, sometimes, even embarrassing.

This is a pity because the plot was very promising but the production simply didn't deliver. Although It has a surprisingly good cast, first class actors can only do their job with a first class script - this film simply doesn't have one.

it was ponderous and obvious. A good drama is always ahead of you, teasing, shocking, challenging you. This film moves at such a slow pace that the viewer is always there ahead of the action.

Oh dear indeed. What could possibly have been an interesting movie was ruined from the start by the usual portrayal of Northern English.

Over the top accents, over the top acting, sort of embarrassing to watch really, does anyone think people behave like this?

Henry is a complete waste of space, along with the patronizing mother and sheep like stepfather - it just does not hold water - a pretty bad choice if you have paid a tenner to watch this rubbish.

Henry - despite looking to be about 30 is at school - not convincing in the least, who thinks this rubbish up? are they mentally challenged? More to the point who actually finances these movies? They must be even more mentally challenged.

Eee bye gum.... pound of cheddar missus! Give it a miss.

"A letter came for you today" ....."Oh...ave never ad a letta before" Terrible acting, probably a BBC prescription method!

Based on a novel of the same name by English writer Michelle Magorian (who also wrote Goodnight Mister Tom, which has also been dramatised for television), Just Henry is a sentimental drama of the kind that used to appear regularly on British TV at Sunday teatime. Set in the north of England in the post-Second World War period, it tells the coming of age story of 15-year old schoolboy Henry. Henry lives with his mother, his stepfather and his (at times) rather spiteful paternal grandmother. His father has been dead for 9 years - he would have been 38 years old at the time the story is set - and seemingly died a war hero. Henry's grandmother believes that her daughter-in-law's new husband isn't a patch on her dead son and is constantly trying to undermine their relationship. However, things are not quite as they seem - and Henry has to confront some interesting truths about his Dad, at a time when he is wrestling with adolescence, his discovery of the opposite sex and the need to apply himself to his education.

Just Henry is enjoyable enough. It is very well acted by a good cast. The problem, as I see it, is that it is rather too twee and sentimental. It could have done with more edge. Too much of it is bathed (both actually and metaphorically) in a layer of soft focus, almost sepia-tinted cinematography. The delineation between good and bad is simplistic. And the ending is unnecessary and ridiculous. It does not in any way stretch the viewer. Rather, it simply invites you to sit back, relax and bask in its wholesome atmosphere. A pleasant, entertaining but undemanding 80 or so minutes of TV. 6/10.

I finally got round to watching this recently. Having read Michelle Magorian's excellent novel, my expectations were quite high. The adaptation however turned to be a sad disappointment. It was poorly paced, badly written and lacked focus. What happened to Henry's interest in film? Sure, there were a few scenes in a cinema, and I was glad to see The Third Man being shown and homaged (with brief chiaroscuro lighting and dutch angles), but that whole element was pushed aside in favour of the uninspired drama scenes. I did admire some of its performances, especially Charlie Clark who gave an intriguing turn as Grace, but all in all it fails where the book was so successful.