Just Henry

What a pleasant surprise! This is such a refreshing film that in middle I actually checked myself gawking at the screen. Henry's acting is purposely timid - actually all the acting is quite laid back and rightfully so. This is a film that is capturing another era of film-making. The other negative reviewer is absurd with his observations.

The entire story line is quick paced when they could have given more time to character development but for me I enjoy when there is imagination left to the viewers and the story line moves quickly.

There was drama and intrigue about how Henry's discovery will play out and you couldn't guess the exact recipe until the end. The supporting actors were all top notch. In a great British way that films of old used to be. From the teacher to the mother to the step-father. The film is a wonderful piece of art.

I am an action movie buff but gave this a watch and was not disappointed.

It's sad that reviewers love to say 'Nothing like the book!'. If you want to read the book, then read it and don't write a movie review! If you want to watch a film that portrays complex emotional conflict at many different levels in a sensitive and realistic way, and if you are tired of formulaic and over-acted Hollywood trash, find an opportunity to watch this fine TV movie. This film deals with emotions and emotional conflicts - in adults and in children - in a very real-life (as opposed to synthetic Hollywood) manner. An ageing mother's wistful love for a departed son and hatred for the man who is taking his place in her daughter-in-law's life, the son with a misty and idealised memory of a father he can hardly remember,and the whole post-war era of trying to put bad memories behind and start afresh. There is moving and believable acting from the young (such as Charlie May-Clark as the uneducated but very savvy schoolgirl) and the old (the inimitable Sheila Hancock as the awful old gran). Ultimately, it is film of hope: of the losers finding their way to win and of the thoroughly bad getting their come uppance. If you want a film that engages you emotionally and leaves you feeling positive and optimistic, give this a try.

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.

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.