The Book of Henry - wikipedia The Book of Henry The Book of Henry Theatrical release poster Directed by Colin Trevorrow Produced by Sidney Kimmel Jenette Kahn Adam Richman Written by Gregg Hurwitz Starring Naomi Watts Jaeden Lieberher Jacob Tremblay Sarah Silverman Lee Pace Maddie Ziegler Dean Norris Music by Michael Giacchino Cinematography John Schwartzman Edited by Kevin Stitt Production company Sidney Kimmel Entertainment Double Nickel Entertainment Distributed by Focus Features Release date June 14, 2017 ( 2017 - 06 - 14 ) ( LAFF ) June 16, 2017 ( 2017 - 06 - 16 ) ( United States ) Running time 105 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $10 million Box office $4.6 million The Book of Henry is a 2017 American drama film directed by Colin Trevorrow and written by Gregg Hurwitz. The film stars Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler, and Dean Norris. The story concerns a plan hatched by a young genius to save the girl next door from abuse. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 14, 2017. It was released in theaters by Focus Features on June 16, 2017, and received generally negative reviews from critics, mostly focused on the film 's plot twists and tonal shifts, and Trevorrow 's direction, although the cast received some praise. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Release 4.1 Critical response 5 References 6 External links Plot In a small suburban town in the Hudson Valley, 11 - year - old boy genius Henry Carpenter and his younger brother Peter are being raised by their single mother Susan, a waitress who is working on writing children 's picture books. Henry has used his intellect to invest successfully in the stock market, building up a very substantial nest egg for his family. Henry also protects Peter from a school bully and builds Rube Goldberg machines in their tree house. Henry and Susan are both fond of their next - door neighbor ( and Henry 's classmate ), Christina Sickleman, who has recently become glum. Henry sees Christina being abused by her stepfather, Glenn, the local police commissioner. Henry reports the abuse to social services and the school principal, Janice Wilder, but Glenn has connections throughout the local government, and Wilder is reluctant to challenge the commissioner without `` conclusive evidence ''. Henry is unable to get the authorities to launch a serious investigation that would protect Christina. Henry tells his mother that when someone is in trouble, those who can help must take action. He develops a detailed plan to rescue Christina that he memorializes in a notebook. After a violent seizure, Henry is taken to the hospital, where he is diagnosed with a brain tumor and undergoes surgery. Anticipating his death, he tells Peter to give Susan the notebook. Days later, Henry dies in Susan 's arms in the hospital. Susan is distraught at Henry 's death and has difficulty functioning, but when Peter gives her the notebook, she focuses on Henry 's plan. Susan tries, but fails, to interest a nearby social services agency in opening an investigation. One night, from the window in Peter 's bedroom, she sees Glenn in Christina 's room and decides to carry out the plan. The notebook and an accompanying cassette tape describe Henry 's step - by - step plan to kill Glenn with a sniper rifle while covering Susan 's tracks so that it will be impossible to trace the murder back to her. Susan 's alibi is to be provided by executing the murder while both Christina and Peter are performing at a school talent show. Susan slips away from the talent show and puts the plan into motion. As she is about to pull the trigger, however, she realizes that Henry 's plan, though ingenious, is the construct of a child, and that she must act as an adult. She immediately confronts Glenn and tells him that she is going to expose him for what he has done to Christina. Glenn replies that everyone will believe him, not her, and he tells her that he is going to call his police chief to come and bring her in. At the same time, affected by Christina 's dance performance at the talent show, Principal Wilder decides to follow through on the abuse accusation and contacts the authorities. Glenn returns home, calls his relative at Social Services, and learns that an investigation is being opened into his abuse of Christina. As the police arrive at his house, Glenn kills himself. Susan legally adopts Christina as her daughter. She also finishes writing one of her children 's books, as Henry had urged her to do. Cast Naomi Watts as Susan Carpenter, the mother of Henry and Peter Jaeden Lieberher as Henry Carpenter, the title character and Susan 's older son Jacob Tremblay as Peter Carpenter, Henry 's brother and Susan 's younger son Sarah Silverman as Sheila, a waitress and Susan 's best friend Dean Norris as Glenn Sickleman, the police commissioner and Christina 's abusive stepfather Lee Pace as David Daniels, a neurosurgeon who operates on Henry Maddie Ziegler as Christina Sickleman, Glenn 's stepdaughter Tonya Pinkins as Janice Wilder, the school principal Bobby Moynihan as John, Susan 's and Sheila 's boss at the diner Geraldine Hughes as Mrs. Evans, Henry 's and Christina 's teacher Jackson Nicoll as Morris, a boy who bullies Peter Production Hurwitz wrote the first draft of the screenplay by 1998. The film was eventually optioned by Jenette Kahn, and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment joined as a producer. An executive at Kimmel Entertainment thought that Colin Trevorrow would be right to direct The Book of Henry. Trevorrow and Hurwitz found each other to be congenial, but then Trevorrow was hired to direct Jurassic World. Another director was considered. By early 2015, after Trevorrow finished Jurassic World, he returned to The Book of Henry. Kimmel Entertainment and Double Nickel Entertainment financed and co-produced the film ; producers are Sidney Kimmel, Kahn and Adam Richman. Focus Features obtained worldwide distribution rights. Principal photography on the film began in September 2015 in and around New York City, and concluded in November. The music was composed by Michael Giacchino. Stevie Nicks sang a new song in the film. Release The Book of Henry was scheduled to be released on September 16, 2016, but Focus rescheduled the film 's release to June 16, 2017, concluding that during the summer, the film release schedule would offer fewer adult - oriented films that might compete against The Book of Henry for older viewers. The film premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 14, 2017. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $1.4 million from 579 theaters ( an average of $2,460 per theater ), finishing 13th at the box office, and making it `` by far the biggest start among the new Specialties '' opening that weekend. The film was featured at the July 2017 Ischia Film Festival, where Trevorrow was honored with the Breakout Director award for the film. Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 20 % based on 118 reviews, with an average rating of 4 / 10. The site 's critical consensus reads, `` The Book of Henry deserves a few points for ambition, but its tonal juggling act -- and a deeply maudlin twist -- may leave viewers gaping in disbelief rather than choking back tears. '' On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating `` generally unfavorable reviews ''. PostTrak reported audiences gave the film an 86 % overall positive score and a 65 % `` definite recommend ''. Caroline McVitty commented in The Island Packet that the film was one `` that critics hate and audiences love. '' Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote : `` There 's the kind of bad movie that just sits there, unfolding with grimly predictable monotony. Then there 's the kind where the badness expands and metastasizes, taking on a jaw - dropping life of its own, pushing through to ever - higher levels of garishness. The Book of Henry... is of the latter, you 've - got - to - see - it - to - disbelieve - it variety. '' The Guardian 's Peter Bradshaw, in a critical review, said that, `` in its pure misjudged ickiness, bad - acting ropiness, and its quirksy, smirksy passive - aggressive tweeness, this insidiously terrible film could hardly get any more skin - crawling. '' Writing for Vulture, Emily Yoshida opined, `` It does not suffice to call The Book of Henry bad ; it 's nonfunctional, so poorly conceived from the ground up as to slip out of the grasp of the usual standards one applies to narrative film. It might be admirable if it was n't such torture to watch. '' Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club wrote : `` Director Colin Trevorrow... lacks any of the eccentricities that might make this quirky and contrived material work, even at face value, '' though he added, `` its above - average performances and insistence on following through on an off - beat premise give it a hint of battiness. '' Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers gave it 1.5 stars out of 4, saying : `` The Book of Henry starts well, begins flirting with absurdity in the middle -- and ends in crashing disaster. But the feeling persists that director Colin Treverrow believes every word in the shambles of a 20 - year - old screenplay by crime novelist Gregg Hurwitz. '' Stephen Schaefer of the Boston Herald was one of the minority of critics who praised the film, as was Colin Covert of the Chicago Tribune, who concluded : `` This is a poignant, frequently funny film that moves into unexpected dark subjects. '' References Jump up ^ `` The Book of Henry ''. British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved May 25, 2017. Jump up ^ de Seife, Ethan ( December 30, 2015 ). `` Jurassic World Director Colin Trevorrow Looks Ahead ''. Seven Days. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ `` The Book of Henry ( 2017 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 12, 2017. Jump up ^ Perez, Rodrigo ( May 5, 2016 ). `` Interview : Colin Trevorrow Talks The Book of Henry & Going From Blockbusters to Indie Films Again ''. ThePlaylist.net. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ Gettell, Oliver ( October 5, 2015 ). `` Colin Trevorrow introduces young Book of Henry stars on Twitter ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Manskar, Noah ( November 3, 2015 ). `` Naomi Watts movie The Book of Henry films in Williston Park ''. The Island Now. Retrieved April 1, 2017. Jump up ^ Le, D. Dona ( January 1, 2016 ). `` Exclusive Q&A with Gregg Hurwitz ' 95 ( Orphan X, The Book of Henry ) ''. Harvardwood. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ Kit, Borys ( March 30, 2015 ). `` ' Jurassic World ' Director Colin Trevorrow Tackling ' Book of Henry ' ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 5, 2015. Jump up ^ Sneider, Jeff ( March 30, 2015 ). `` Jurassic World 's Colin Trevorrow to Direct Book of Henry for Sidney Kimmel ''. thewrap. Retrieved April 5, 2015. Jump up ^ Kroll, Justin ( August 19, 2015 ). `` Jacob Tremblay, Jaeden Lieberher to Co-Star in Colin Trevorrow 's Book of Henry ''. Variety.com. Retrieved April 8, 2016. Jump up ^ Evry, Max ( October 5, 2015 ). `` Jurassic World Director Colin Trevorrow 's The Book of Henry Begins Filming ''. comingsoon.net. Jump up ^ `` Book of Henry Filming -- Update Village of South Nyack ''. southnyack.ny.gov. Retrieved November 13, 2015. Jump up ^ Ferraro, Tom ( November 12, 2015 ). `` Our Town : The day the circus came to Williston Park ''. The Island Now. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ Lowe, Kinsey ( November 21, 2015 ). `` Colin Trevorrow Tweets The Book Of Henry has Wrapped Filming ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Michael Giacchino to Score Colin Trevorrow 's The Book of Henry ''. FilmMusicReporter.com. February 16, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ Vulpo, Mike ( June 13, 2017 ). `` Stevie Nicks Releases New Song for The Book of Henry : Listen to ' Your Hand I Will Never Let It Go ' Now ''. Eonline.com. Retrieved June 26, 2017. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( May 31, 2016 ). `` Colin Trevorrow 's The Book Of Henry to Hit Theaters in September ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 1, 2016. Jump up ^ Gettell, Oliver ( August 2, 2016 ). `` Colin Trevorrow 's drama Book of Henry delayed until 2017 ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ Lang, Brent ( August 2, 2016 ). `` Colin Trevorrow 's ' Book of Henry ' Pushed Back to 2017 ( EXCLUSIVE ) ''. Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2017. Jump up ^ Galuppo, Mia ( May 2, 2017 ). `` L.A. Film Fest : Colin Trevorrow 's The Book of Henry Set for Opening Night ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 2, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Brooks, Brian ( June 18, 2017 ). `` ' Maudie ', ' The Journey ' & ' Hare Krishna ' Open Solid -- Specialty Box Office ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 19, 2017. Jump up ^ Anderson, Ariston ( June 26, 2017 ). `` Ischia Fest to Honor Colin Trevorrow, ' Beguiled ' to Open Fest ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 26, 2017. Jump up ^ `` The Book of Henry ( 2017 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 26, 2018. Jump up ^ `` The Book of Henry reviews ''. Metacritic. Retrieved June 23, 2017. Jump up ^ McVitty, Caroline ( June 21, 2017 ). `` The Book of Henry : Most critics hate, but audiences will love captivating, enlightening movie ''. The Island Packet. Retrieved June 27, 2017. Jump up ^ Holmes, Adam ( June 23, 2017 ). `` What Colin Trevorrow Really Thinks About The Book of Henry 's Terrible Reviews ''. Cinemablend.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017. Jump up ^ Gleiberman, Owen ( June 14, 2017 ). `` Film Review : ' The Book of Henry ' ''. Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2017. Jump up ^ Bradshaw, Peter ( June 15, 2017 ). `` The Book of Henry review -- icky revenge weepie pours syrup over everything ''. The Guardian. Retrieved June 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Yoshida, Emily ( June 15, 2017 ). `` The Book of Henry Must Be Seen to Be Believed ( But Please Do n't See It ) ''. Vulture. Retrieved June 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy ( June 15, 2017 ). `` A tween genius plots a murder in the contrived Book Of Henry ''. A.V. Club. Retrieved June 16, 2017. Jump up ^ Travers, Peter ( June 15, 2017 ). `` ' The Book of Henry ' Review : Boy Meets Girl, Ends Up in WTF Tearjerker - Thriller ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 15, 2017. Jump up ^ Covert, Colin ( June 15, 2017 ). `` The Book of Henry : Naomi Watts leads a coming - of - age tale that turns dark ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 26, 2017. Jump up ^ Schaefer, Stephen ( June 16, 2017 ). `` Book of Henry : Endearing, smart tale of child genius ''. Boston Herald. Retrieved June 26, 2017. External links Official website The Book of Henry on IMDb Trailer No. 1 Feature on the young stars of the film in Vanity Fair Colin Trevorrow Films directed Home Base ( 2002 ) Reality Show ( 2004 ; also written ) Safety Not Guaranteed ( 2012 ) Jurassic World ( 2015 ; also written ) The Book of Henry ( 2017 ) Written only Making Revolution ( 2003, written with Daniel Klein and Brandon Krueger ) Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom ( 2018, written with Derek Connolly ) Gregg Hurwitz Novels Orphan X Thrillers series Orphan X ( 2016 ) Buy a Bullet ( 2016 ) The Nowhere Man ( 2017 ) Hellbent ( 2018 ) The Rains Brothers The Rains ( 2016 ) Last Chance ( 2017 ) Tim Rackley The Kill Clause ( 2004 ) The Program ( 2005 ) Troubleshooter ( 2006 ) Last Shot ( 2007 ) Individual The Tower ( 1999 ) Minutes to Burn ( 432 ) Do No Harm ( 2002 ) The Crime Writer ( 2008 ) Trust No One ( 2010 ) They 're Watching ( 2011 ) You 're Next ( 2011 ) The Survivor ( 2012 ) Tell No Lies ( 2013 ) Do n't Look Back ( 2014 ) Comic books DC Comics Batman : The Dark Knight ( 2012 -- 2014 ) Detective Comics ( 2012 -- 2014 ) Penguin : Pain and Prejudice ( 2011 -- 2012 ) Marvel comics Foolkiller vol. 2 ( 2007 ) Foolkiller : White Angels ( 2008 -- 2009 ) The New Avengers ( 2009 ) Punisher ( 2008 -- 2009 ) The Savage Axe of Ares ( 2011 ) Shadowland : Moon Knight ( 2010 ) The Vengeance of Moon Knight ( 2009 -- 2010 ) Wolverine Annual ( 2007 ) Wolverine : Flies to a Spider ( 2009 ) Wolverine : Switchback ( 2009 ) X-Men Forever ( 2009 ) Filmography Written TV Series Black Flags Queen of the South ( Season 1 Episode 8 : Billete de Magia ) V Films The Book of Henry ( 2017 ) Produced TV Series Black Flags V Films The Book of Henry ( 2017 ; co-produced with Colin Trevorrow ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Book_of_Henry&oldid=854717130 '' Categories : 2017 films English - language films 2010s drama films American films American drama films Fictional child prodigies Films about cancer Films about child abuse Films directed by Colin Trevorrow Films produced by Sidney Kimmel Films scored by Michael Giacchino Films set in New York ( state ) Films shot in New York ( state ) Films shot in New York City Focus Features films Sidney Kimmel Entertainment films Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from June 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano Magyar Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 中文 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 13 August 2018, at 08 : 59 ( UTC ). 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Question: where did the book of henry take place
Answer: In a small suburban town in the Hudson Valley