MR HARRIGAN'S PHONE

US, 2022, 104 minutes, Colour.

Donald Sutherland, Jaeden Martel, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Joe Tippett, Cyrus Arnold, Daniel Reece.

Directed by John Lee Hancock.

Many audiences will be attracted to this film because it is based on a short story by Stephen King. On the other hand, any audiences who watch the film without knowing the author, will be surprised to learn that it is by Stephen King. It is not in his usual vein. It is not really a horror story. There are touches of the supernatural – but especially linked with cell phones and social media.

The first part of the film has Stephen King at his more gentle (reminding us of such stories as Stand By Me). Craig is an earnest young boy, his mother just dead, living with his concerned father. He reads at church.

In the congregation is Mr Harrigan, a daunting figure, elderly, recluse, played effectively by Donald Sutherland in his mid-80s. Mr Harrigan is keen to find someone to read novels to him and offers the job to Craig. Craig reads various novels, the titles coming up on screen, including Dombey and Son, Heart of Darkness, with Mr Harrigan repeating the famous utterance of Kurtz, the Horror. And this goes on for some years, Craig turning up several times a week, receiving payment, and, for his birthday, a scratch card (ultimately winning good sum of money).

Craig grows up, goes to school, has some friends, is attracted to one, goes to a dance with her. However, there are bullies at the school, especially Ken, who bashes Craig who does not turn Ken in.

Halfway through the film, and unhappily for older audiences who value seeing Donald Sutherland, Mr Harrigan dies, leaving money to Craig which will help him in his going to college. Donald Sutherland has given a strong performance as a recluse, a ruthless moneymaker, managing businesses, alienating people.

One of the key elements of the story, making it more contemporary, is the cell phone, Craig asking his father to get him one because all the other friends at school had one and his father obliging for his birthday. And Craig gives a phone to Mr Harrigan who does not believe in it, is shown how it gives so much immediate information, the various apps, that he becomes intrigued by it, getting a melody for tone, and a phone name. When he dies, that the viewing, Craig puts his phone in Mr Harrigan’s coat pocket and it is buried with him.

One of the characters who has helped Craig at school is a sympathetic teacher. She is killed in a road crash, the driver of the other car intoxicated, given a suspended sentence to go into rehab – but the audience seeing him smirking during the sentence. He goes to a very comfortable rehabilitation centre.

Craig bribes one of the officials to find out the details of what happened to the driver, especially his suicide in the shower. Craig is disturbed because he has tried to communicate with Mr Harrigan by the cell phone and believes that Mr Harrigan has been influential in the driver’s killing himself. Which provides a moral dilemma – whether there is supernatural contact via such a means as a cell phone, whether Craig should follow this or toss away the phones.

Stephen King horror fans were not impressed by this particular Stephen King story.

1. The title, the emphasis on phones, in the past, cell phones, information, access – and the possibility of communication from the afterlife?
2. From a story by Stephen King, a human, humane story, minimal emphasis on the supernatural, minimal horror?
3. The town in Maine, the to thousands, Craig and his home, his father’s work, church, going to Mr Harrigan’s mansion, the use of reading, Mr Harrigan’s death? The years passing, high school, classes, teachers, bullying? Craig graduating, the course in Boston? The musical score?
4. Craig’s story, the impact of the death of his mother, the final visit to her grave? The bond with his father, his father’s care? Church, reading? The invitation from Mr Harrigan, his going to the house, titles of the books read, their impact, on Craig, on Mr Harrigan? The bond over the years, Mr Harrigan asking why Craig came, his reasons, and because he wanted to? The payments, regular, and the red Devil cards? His winning a larger sum?
5. Mr Harrigan, the newspaper articles, ruthless, business, companies, retiring, not wanting any attention? Reading the papers? Listening to the books?
6. Craig, his friends at school, their company, the attractive girl, talking with her, the phones, at the dance? Kenny, bullying, brutality, the intervention of the teacher, Kenny bashing Craig at the dance, thinking he had betrayed him to the police? Can his accident and death? The impact on Craig? Wanting to understand him and his family?
7. Mr Harrigan’s death, quiet, Craig’s disbelief, ringing his father? The funeral, the phone, putting it in his pocket? The importance of the gift of the phone from Mr Harrigan, initial resistance, discovering all the information available, the various apps, the Internet, all the information free of charge (which he did not approve of), is continually being on his phone? Loretta Lynn, the music, the call, his name?
8. The effect of the death? Halfway through the film? Craig, the phone, sending messages to Mr Harrigan, going to the grave and hearing the ring tone? The lawyer, $800,000, payment for college?
9. Time passing, the years of school, the graduation? Going to college, the writing course, his mentioning film writing in LA to Mr Harrigan, disapproval?
10. Some communication with Mr Harrigan, with Kenny’s bullying? And the shock of his death?
11. The role of the teacher, kind, intervening, encouraging, the story of the crash and her death? The audience seeing the driver, drinking, smoking in court when sentenced to rehabilitation?
12. Craig, trying to communicate with Mr Harrigan, vengeance on the driver? The news of his death? Craig going, posing as a reporter, paying $200, getting the information, the film visualising the suicide of the driver? The effect on Craig, that revenge was not sweet?
13. The death, jolting Craig, making him rethink his life, throwing the phone into the water?
14. A very low-key Stephen King story, and the touch of the supernatural, and the cell phone as a means for communication by the dead?