Mr Harrigan’s Phone
In 2003, Harlow, Maine, thirteen year old Craig Poole, begins reading to reclusive billionaire John Harrigan, as Harrigan’s eyesight is failing.
Over the years they develop a friendship. In 2008, after winning money in one of his yearly lotto tickets from Harrigan, Craig buys him a phone so they can stay connected better.
Not long after Harrigan passes away, and Craig buries him with the phone. Not long after, Craig messages his old friend to say thanks for the friendship – and is surprised to get a reply.
Direction
Written and Directed by John Lee Hancock, who has directed such films as The Blind Side, Saving Mr Banks and The Founder.
Cast/Characters
The late great Donald Sutherland plays Mr Harrigan, and sadly does seem to be struggling a little in one of his final performances.
Jaeden Martell plays Craig. He is solid – with what he is given
Other cast of importance are Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Craig’s teacher Ms Hart, Joe Tippett as his father and Cyrus Arnold who plays the bully Kenny and gets the MVP.
Breakdown
Based on the ‘coming of age’ short story by Stephen King – from the novel ‘If it Bleeds’. Unfortunately I think it should have stayed on print. I haven’t read the novella myself – but felt that what was put on film, didn’t do justice to what I can assume was put to paper.
Craig narrates throughout (which feels very familiar with other king works like STand by Me and Shawshank Redemption, two of his other novellas).
The script suffers from the Dunning Kruger effect, int that it thinks its smarter than it is. Harrigan “predicts” the future of smart devices/fake news etc. This likely played out better on the written page than it did here.
The pacing feels completely off, with quite a great deal of attention given to the friendship of Harrigan and Craig. Harrigan dies at the 45m mark, and the following hour is where the addition of the ‘supernatural’ comes to play.
This follows on with Craig’s continuous calling his friend after he dies to vent his frustrations with life.
The last hour of the film has Craig go through a series of traumas. First being bullied by Kenny, which he calls Harrigan, and soon after Kenny is killed in a freak accident.
In the last 25 minutes, Ms Hart is killed by a drunk driver. Craig once again calls Harrigan – this time believing Harrigan to be able to do something, and low and behold the drunk driver ‘dies’ mysteriously too.
I did not like where this arc was placed, it felt clunky – and should have been placed earlier in the film – giving Craig more time to conclude the ‘conversations’ with Harrigan.
The way the teens work with technology (texting rather than talking) – feels oddly written, but this might be a generational ideology that I am not familiar with. in 2008 I was already in my mid 20’s. I prefer King’s work where it doesn’t exist in an era where ‘technology’ exists.
The film was promoted as a supernatural/horror – but there really isn’t anything at all scary of the like. The deaths that do happen, occur off screen – and it is more ambiguous of who is to blame for the deaths… Craig or Harrigan – or were they just terrible accidents?
The concept was good, but the execution was done poorly.
Overall
While far from a fail, I wouldn’t rave about this/recommend it or tell you to give it a miss.
It just is.
Please check out my YouTube channel, where we discuss this movie.
3/5