I have long been a fan of the works of Stephen King, a Constant Reader if you will, so I will always look forward to an adaptation of one of his works, even if they don't always nail the tone of the original work. When I heard they were adapting Mr. Harrigan's Phone, I was curious to see how it came out. The result is a very different, but very good, film.
Craig (played by Jaeden Martell) is a young man who has had a rough time in life after losing his mom at a young age. He lives in the small town of Harlow, Maine with his Dad (played by Joe Tippett). After seeing him read a passage from the Bible in Church one Sunday, he receives an offer from Mr. Harrigan (played by Donald Sutherland), a wealthy retired businessman, to come read to him three times a week since his eyesight has started to fade. He offers to pay the boy five dollars an hour for his time. Craig agrees to the arrangement and as the years pass, a sort of friendship develops between the two as both begin to enjoy the intellectual discussions that develop from the books they read. When Craig starts High School, he starts having trouble with a bully, Kenny (played by Cyrus Arnold). When he turns to Mr. Harrigan for advice, he is advised to deal with adversaries swiftly and harshly. One Christmas, Craig gets the newly released iPhone and enjoys having it. When a lottery ticket given to him from Mr. Harrigan wins him a prize of $3000, he decides to buy one for Mr. Harrigan as well. Initially resistant to the new technology, he comes around when he realizes he can get stock market results and news in real time. The more he uses the phone the more he realizes the dangers inherent in way information is freely exchanged without any cost, correctly predicting the rise of fake news as well as other innovations such as pay walls for legitimate news sites and advertising tailored to your own search history. When Mr. Harrigan passes away suddenly, Craig is saddened to have lost his friend, all the more so since he's the one that finds the body. At his funeral, Craig slips Mr. Harrigan's phone into his suit pocket before the casket is buried. Trying to deal with his grief, he calls Mr. Harrigan's phone and leaves a voice mail. The following morning he is shocked to see he got a text message back, with a cryptic message of only a few letters. Initially spooked, he eventually shrugs it off as a technological quirk. When he is once again bullied by Kenny, in despair Craig once again calls Mr. Harrigan's phone, saying he wished Kenny would get what he deserves. Not long after, Kenny is found dead in a freak accident. Now really spooked, Craig can no longer ignore the fact that his friend is somehow communicating and helping him from beyond the grave.
The film was written and directed by John Lee Hancock from the novella by Stephen King. The film is an unusual one in that it is a mix of coming of age drama and spook story and yet it worked remarkably well for me. A large part of what made the film work for me is that it took the time to really establish the bond between Craig and Mr. Harrigan before the latter character shuffled off the mortal coil, giving the film it's emotional core. The story's emphasis is far more on the relationship between Craig and the enigmatic Mr. Harrigan, as well as Craig coming to terms and moving on from his friend's death than on jump scares, shocks or gore. That is not to say the film doesn't have a few decent creepy moments throughout, it's just not the focus of the film. Hancock handles those moments well without overshadowing the entire film, which for the most part is a surprisingly warm film more focused on friendship and overcoming grief. Hancock gives the film a deliberate, almost leisurely pace that fits the story he's telling, working to capture genuine emotion and introspection that I appreciated.
The film has a strong cast led by Jaeden Martell and Donald Sutherland. Martell really conveys his character's intelligence and thoughtfulness as well as his struggles having left him a bit emotionally closed off. He crafts an endearing performance, making it easy to empathize with his character throughout the film. Sutherland crafts an intriguing character with Mr. Harrigan, crafting someone who clearly has some skeletons in his closet and had a reputation of being something of a ruthless businessman, as is hinted in his conversations with Craig. He could be generous to his friends, but at the same time was not someone who you ever want to be on his bad side with. Sutherland strikes just the right note with his character, conveying plenty with a softly spoken line as he offers advice or wisdom to his younger friend. Joe Tippett gives a nice, understated but warm performance as Craig's dad. He really coveys his character's struggles with the loss of his wife as well as being a single parent raising his son, but also wanting to be a supportive and loving father. Cyrus Arnold makes for a decent antagonist for Craig, doing what he can with a fairly stereotypical role.
Mr. Harrigan's Phone is an interesting entry in the pantheon of Stephen King adaptations and one's reaction to the film is going to vary depending on what the viewer is expecting. Those going in expecting a coming of age drama with the addition of some creepy supernatural elements are most likely going to come away very satisfied with the film. Those expecting a hair-raising, scary movie are likely going to be a bit disappointed. This one is focused on it's characters and, given the nature of the story, that is where it should be. It is a film I went into expecting it to be a scary movie and found a richer, warmer, and heartfelt movie in it's place. Yet, it's perfect for Halloween viewing, especially for those looking for something a little more unique or something that won't keep them up at night.
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