August1991

There is basically no dialogue in this movie so you are going to spend about 2 hours watching a video with spacey music. I have no problem with that in principle, film is often at its best when it relies on visuals, but this movie lacks not only dialogue but also a story.

So what's the point of the movie? Well, I get the point of the movie and I also get that the movie demonstrates it badly and in a self-indulgent, boring way. To be generous and I suppose with the right frame of mind, you could possibly take the movie as a surreal comedy. I don't think that was the intention however.

I am surprised about the comments and ratings for this movie. The critics are wrong about this one. Avoid.

This DVD was kicking around the house because someone (not me) rented it. Like a dang fool, I put it on and watched the first 30 minutes or so. Then I skipped through the remainder at 2X and 4X.

This movie has no redeeming quality whatsoever. The plot is entirely predictable, the acting is atrocious, the script is senseless, the music insipid. The movie bears absolutely no resemblance to anything in the real world and it doesn't offer up any kind of legitimate fantasy either. It's not escapist entertainment because it's not entertaining.

You know those bad movies that are fun to watch? This ain't one of them. This is just a bad movie. Avoid.

Others here have provided a plot outline so I'll skip to three other points about this movie. First, this is one of Mike Nichols better efforts. For those who don't know, Nichols already has a substantial body of work. In my view, he's one of the best working directors in America today. If Oliver Stone can win the Oscar twice, then Nichols certainly deserves it again. True, Nichols usually works with good scripts, good actors, good craftspeople but then he puts the whole thing together well. Regarding Henry is an example.

Second, I give license to scriptwriters because they must condense so much into two hours or so. In real life, the changes shown in Regarding Henry would have taken several years. To make the movie work, there's an overuse of magical turning points. In real life, such changes don't occur this way. Similarly, others here have portrayed the movie as an American morality tale: Bad Lawyer Goes Good. While the movie can be viewed on that level, it's also about how someone recovers from a horrific incident. In this, the movie is reaffirming like 'The Horse Whisperer'.

Lastly, I'll reserve a comment for Bill Nunn who played Bradley, the therapist. (By the way, Bill Nunn also played in the Spidermans and even Canadian Bacon (!) but I don't remember him in any of those.) I did notice him in Regarding Henry because Nunn plays so well such a critical supporting role. Bradley the therapist was the first person to help Harrison Ford's character overcome his tragedy and bring him back into the "real" world. There's usually no money nor fame in being a therapist. But the script, to its credit, explains why Bradley is a therapist. The script also shows that life's worth ultimately is a personal value. Some people receive their income other than through money in their wallet.