'Regarding Henry' - Movie Review

The first ten minutes of the movie establishes Henry Turner (Harrison Ford) as a distinctly unpleasant man, a lawyer whose deepest concern is money and who treats his daughter very poorly indeed. But we don't have to put up with him for long: he goes to the corner store to buy cigarettes, and is shot in the head by a robber (one of John Leguizamo's first appearances on film). His injuries leave him essentially non-functional, and it takes months of therapy to get him up and going again - and the person who returns home is almost completely unlike the lawyer we first met. This causes considerable stress for his wife, but is almost all good for his daughter who finds him much better company.

There's a slight over-sell on the nastiness of the original personality, but that's because you only get ten minutes to get to know him. Ford actually sells it remarkably well, but the reason I remain fond of the movie is how extraordinarily well he sells Henry version 2.0. Annette Bening is very good as his wife, Mikki Allen is very good as the daughter. Bill Nunn overdoes the physical therapist who gets Henry back on his feet (not just physically, but also mentally), but he's charming and funny.

Don't get me wrong: I like Indiana Jones and Han Solo, but I don't think anyone has ever threatened Ford with an Oscar for his acting. And it doesn't seem he won any awards for this movie either, but this is the only time I've ever seen him that I felt like it was worth considering.

The final product is overly sentimental, but charming, and a pleasant way to pass a couple hours.